When A Killer Comes To Play
by MissUse
Summary: Someone's out to kill the Doctor for the Silence, and he's taken someone close to the Doctor to draw him out. Between the hit-man and the unexpected hostage, it may just be enough to get the Doctor killed.
1. Cowboy Boots and Santa Hats

The large pub on the outpost Vahptilliorbus was as packed as could be, every booth and table occupied by wary-eyed smugglers, criminals, con-artists and the plain undesirable. It was a place to refuel your ship and your belly, hide from the law and get questionable jobs you wouldn't apply for anywhere else.

Though they looked tough, most all of them were skittish and cowards. The man that walked through the door- wearing a long black coat that whipped out behind him in a dramatic fashion over a tailored black suit, the pants legs tucked in to old-fashioned, black leather Earth cowboy boots- appeared to be fully aware of the fact.

He stopped at the doorway and looked around, being sure to allow every gaze to fall on him before pulling two grenades out of the pockets of his coat and holding them up for all to see.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his tone loud and demanding, a grin spreading across the handsome features of his face, creating a dangerously mischievous look, "don't be alarmed, but I'm about to kill you all!"

With that, he pulled the pins of the grenades and tossed them into the room, letting them roll across the floor until they came to a stop in the center of the pub.

Naturally, everyone was very much alarmed. The bar became an uproar of activity as people jumped out of their seats and started running for doors, pushing and shoving and shouting in animalistic panic.

The speaker watched with an amused expression as people and aliens filed out of every exit they could find -including windows- and even ran past him in their hurry to escape the inevitable. He waited until the building had been completely emptied, save one apparently unconcerned straggler, before turning and shutting the door he had entered. He then proceeded going about the rest of the pub shutting doors and windows until every entrance had been sufficiently blocked.

He turned on his heels, knelt down and picked up the fake grenades and then sauntered over to a table at the far end of the pub, where a man in black religious robes sat, bent over his meal obliviously. "That wasn't necessary," he said.

The man took the seat across from him, lifting his cowboy booted feet up onto the table and leaning back in the chair. "No, maybe not," he mused, spinning the spur on the back of his heel idly. "But it was funny as hell and it gave me the privacy I needed."

The robed man regarded him with a weary sigh. "What do you want?"

He frowned at him in mock upset. "Not happy to see me, Father Quentin?"

"Not particularly. Every time I've seen you, you've had evil at your heels and I'd rather not associate myself with it, if you don't mind," he said, taking a bite of a slimy, green substance from the plate in front of him.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Fair, yes, but still, it hurts my feelings that you think of me in such a negative way."

"Please get on with it. I have somewhere to be."

He arched a brow. "Somewhere important?"

"Perhaps not to you, but to me, yes."

"And what exactly would that be?"

The robed man hesitated, looking unsure whether or not he should say, but after a moment he spoke, "I'm to be a Headless Monk in two days. The preparations have already been started."

The booted man whistled sympathetically. "How hypocritical of you, seeing as you hate my evil heels, but still... that's unfortunate. I might be able to get you out of it, though, for a price."

"I don't want out of it," Father Quentin said firmly. "I volunteered. I was honored to have my request accepted by the Church. Besides, the kind of death you deal out is pointless and avails to nothing. I will be doing work for the Order of the Headless and the Papal Mainframe."

The man gave him a incredulous look, but waved a hand in uninterested dismissal, "Well, you can still help me."

"Perhaps. It depends on what you want."

The man leaned forward, lacing his fingers and placing his hands on the table, eyes narrowed. "I'm looking for the Doctor."

Father Quentin chuckled. "Then I'm afraid you're out of luck. He's dead. Killed at Lake Silencio."

The other man smirked. "Is that what you think?"

"It's what I know," Father Quentin countered. "It's what everyone knows." He regarded him with a look of disbelief. "Surely you've heard. I know you often travel to fairly untouched regions, but the word has spread even to the farthest corners of every galaxy. Everyone knows."

The booted man, expression unchanged, said nothing, but reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a clear bag with a piece of wood in it.

Father Quentin looked at it blankly and then at the man. "Am I supposed to know what that is or how it's significant?"

"This," the man said, his smirk growing further as he dropped from legs from the table and leaned forward, "is a piece of the boat the Doctor's body was burned on. As you can see, these pieces were _not_ burned. The fire never even touched it... which seems odd to me. I recovered several more pieces like this and found that they perfectly shaped a body. Isn't that strange? Now, I'm no Time Lord expert, but I believe they burn just as easily as we do."

Father Quentin blinked and glanced between the splinter of wood and the booted man in a look of confusion.

The man grinned at him, put the bag back in his coat and then leaned in closer. "Tell me, Father, have you ever heard of a _Teselecta?_"

He shook his head.

"You wouldn't. Top Secret. Hush, hush. Luckily enough for you, _I_ know what it is; in a nutshell, its what the Justice Department uses to deal out punishment to those in history who never paid their dues. I discovered small traces of the materials used in Teselecta vessels on each piece of wood." He paused, allowing the information to sink in, but when Father Quentin blinked at him again, he elaborated. "You saw a vehicle, in the form of the Doctor, die at Lake Silencio; not the Doctor."

Father Quentin's eyes widened in baffled alarm. "No... no, that's not possible. The Doctor himself said that moment was a fixed point in time. He-"

"The _deception_ was the fixed point, Father. Not the death," the man explained calmly. "Which means the Silence has got a _very_ angry, _very_ dangerous Time Lord still running around and this time he's got the advantage of being dead."

Father Quentin's features stretched in panic and he suddenly stood up from the table. "This is... this is terrible! I have to tell Madame Kovarian!"

"Sit down, Father," the man barked suddenly, but his expression remained cool and collected and he gestured to the chair. "I didn't tell you all of this so you could go run off and tell Mummy. I'm not quite finished."

Father Quentin hesitated, but relented and resumed his seat.

"Thank you. Now, you've got a problem. Right now the Doctor has all the cards; he's dead, he's got all of time and space on his hands and he has the element of surprise. All of the Silence's attempts to kill him have failed, including their very expensive assassin River Song."

"How do you-?"

The man raised his hand to silence him. "Never mind how I know about her, just let me finish. As I was saying, all of your attempts have failed. And what Madame Kovarian will try once she hears about this will _also_ fail."

Father Quentin stared at him with wide, bewildered eyes. "You can't know-"

"Oh, _please_," he said mockingly, "The Doctor's going to know it every time she _sneezes_. Any plans she'll try to make, he'll learn about and be one step ahead of her. Me, on the other hand..."

Father Quentin's brow creased. "You?"

"Now, don't get your knickers in a bunch, Father," the man soothed with a chuckle, "Right now, your people need a wild card like me."

"What are you proposing?" Father Quentin asked uneasily.

The man smiled. "I'm proposing the Silence do nothing."

Father Quentin gawked at him. "Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing," the man repeated coolly. "Let me handle it."

"But-"

"I know, I know, the idea of a freelancer like myself taking care of something so important is disconcerting, but you haven't got much of a choice. The Doctor's going to be watching your every move and at the slightest notion of activity, he'll be knocking down your door faster than you can say 'Demons Run'. Which is why I came to talk to you and not Madame Kovarian."

Father Quentin looked perfectly appalled and confused. "What's your plan, then?"

The man's eyes practically twinkled with excitement. "I'd love to tell you the details, Father, but I'm afraid it would be too risky, so instead, I'll tell you what I need.

"Firstly, I'll need a few of the Silence and I need them to do exactly what I tell them to; no questions asked. Secondly, I'll require a hefty payment for my services; half before and the rest after along with anything else I ask for, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. Thirdly, I will make a request to keep something of potential value to the Silence; the specifics of the request to be revealed later. It will be given to me without question or fuss. Fourthly, and most important, I need a door."

Father Quentin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Just... a door?"

"A very specific door," the man added.

"Well... what is it?"

"I need a door to another universe. Not just any universe, either. It has to be a specific one, otherwise its useless to me."

"What for?" Father Quentin balked.

"The Doctor is in hiding," the man explained, "which could put him... oh... _anywhere_ in time and space. I need a way to lure him out, among other reasons, all of which require that door."

Father Quentin paused, blinking and looking very uncomfortable and indecisive. "I don't know... I don't know if Madame Kovarian would agree to this."

The man suddenly threw his head back in laughter, making Father Quentin jump, startled by the sudden outburst.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course she wouldn't!" the man said once his fit of laughter had ended. "That's why she's not going to know."

"Pardon?" Father Quentin squeaked.

"You're not going to tell her. At least for a few days. Shouldn't be too hard on you, either, seeing as you're going to be headless in two days' time."

Father Quentin looked like he was going to pop and he made noises as thought to speak, but was too flustered to make any sense. The man watched him in calm amusement as Father Quentin stood from his seat in indignant befuddlement. "I- You- She- I _can't_ keep this from her! If anyone found out I was withholding information of this magnitude... why, they'd-"

"Behead you?" the man asked with a jovial chuckle. "Come, now, Father, it's only two days."

"How am I to pay you without her knowing? How am I supposed to do _any_ of the things you ask without her figuring out what I'm up to? Or ensure that she will follow your instructions?"

"You're a fairly intelligent man. Figure it out. I know you can."

Father Quentin stared at him uncertainly. The man may have looked amused and shrouded himself in an air of collected, nonchalant confidence, but there was something about him that made Father Quentin mentally cringe every time he saw him. Behind those amber eyes there lurked a cunning, dangerous intelligence that few beings could match. Beyond the composed exterior there lay an unrelenting, baneful force that was not to be trifled with.

"I... I don't know..." he stammered uncertainly, not wanting to look any longer into the depths of the man's eyes, subconsciously afraid that somehow he would be able to see into his soul.

The man smiled gently and stood from the chair. "It's like I said. You don't have much of a choice." He pulled his jacket closer and then side-glanced at Father Quentin. "I need that door, Father, by tomorrow morning at the latest. And don't worry yourself; in two days you won't have the ability to."

Father Quentin fiddled with his robes, grabbing them in his fists and mussing with them uncomfortably as he watched the booted man push the chair back into the table.

"Let me tell you something, Father..." he said, pulling his coat up over his shoulders and looking at him severely, "Wherever the Doctor is right now, I can guarantee you that he's going to be doing everything in his power to take the Silence down."

* * *

><p>Canton Delaware had dozed off reading the paper. He never used to feel so tired all of the time. He had once been vibrant and alert and strong, but he had been younger then. Had he been younger, he might have handled the events of the day a little differently than he had, but he was just too tired and old.<p>

Even so, he wasn't deaf, and the loud wheezing sound coming from the kitchen was enough to not only wake him, but also kick in old instincts that had been left dusting on a shelf. His eyes opened as the noise from the kitchen grew, rasping and heavy and he sat up. His hand ventured to the side table, opening the drawer and pulling out the revolver he kept hidden there. Turning off the safety, he eased himself up and out of his recliner and began inching towards the kitchen.

The sight there was enough to make his jaw drop. What on earth was a police call box doing in his kitchen?

Before he could recover, the door swung open and a tall man in a bow-tie stepped out, looked around, focused on Canton and then grinned from ear to ear.

"Canton Everett Delaware the third! Isn't this just lovely! How are you? You look positively wrinkly. Have you got tea?"

Canton blinked at him, hardly believing his eyes. He must be dreaming; that was the only explanation. He didn't realize he had started speaking until the words had come out of his mouth unbidden. "Doctor, you're dead..."

"Yes and its very convenient, so please keep this visit between me and you," the Doctor said, turning suddenly towards the TARDIS and running a hand over the door. "She rarely does this."

"She who?"

The Doctor didn't answer, but just kept caressing the TARDIS affectionately. He looked over his shoulder at Canton, an inquiring expression on his face. "Was there something you were wanting to tell me, Canton? I don't think the TARDIS would've brought me here just for a cup of tea."

Canton stared a moment more in confusion. He hadn't really understood the TARDIS and he didn't think he ever would, so he just dropped it. "Actually... yes. It's funny you should show up today of all days."

"Funny ha-ha or funny coincidental?"

"Coincidental," Canton replied patiently. Even after all of these years, he found himself quite familiar with the unusual way the Doctor handled things. "You see, I just got back from Lake Silencio."

"Oh, and how was my funeral? Was it touching?" the Doctor asked with a big grin.

"No, no, that was more than a week ago. I've been going out there every few days... I don't really know why, but its a good thing I did."

The Doctor looked at him, interest twinkling in his eye. He shut the TARDIS door, walked over to a cabinet and grabbed out a box of cookies, immediately opening it up and munching on them while leaning against the kitchen counter. "Something happened?"

Canton nodded, waddled over to the kitchen table, pulled out one of the chairs and sat himself down wearily, setting aside the gun that had apparently held no importance to the Doctor, despite the fact that he had been aiming it right at his head. "I went out there early this morning and saw some men there. They were gathering up the wood from the boat we... we burned you er... well, that we burned your body on. They were running tests of some sort, but I couldn't be sure. Actually, I got some pictures," he said, slowly rising from the chair and hurrying back into the living room. He got the pictures from the side table, having just had them developed and went back into the kitchen, handing them to the Doctor.

He took them, putting down the box of cookies. He glanced at each, his eyes scrutinizing the figures portrayed on them.

"Are they anyone you know?" Canton asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not really. Looks like five of them are just thugs, but look at this one," he said, showing the picture of six men huddled over a piece of wood and some sort of equipment. "He has cool boots."

Canton glanced up at the Doctor. "Is that relevant?"

"Not really. I just like his boots. They're cowboy boots. They've got spurs on them, too, see? Boots are cool. He looks like the leader."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's working the equipment in every single picture. These other five fellows just standing around with their hands on their guns. Muscle. Boots is the brains," the Doctor said, going through the pictures once more. He picked out one and showed it to Canton. "May I take this?"

Canton nodded.

The Doctor folded it in half and put it in one of his coat's inside pockets. "Right. Well. Very unusual. Lucky I showed up, isn't it?" he said with another child-like grin.

"Doctor, what about your friends?" Canton asked. "Do they know you're... alive?"

"Yes. Actually, I just got back from Christmas dinner with them. They'd made me a plate. Isn't that thoughtful? I thought it was thoughtful. It was quite good. The sweet potatoes weren't as sweet as I would've liked. Maybe if they'd added a little custard. Oh, well. Canton, it was truly a pleasure to see you again, but I'd better be off. I've got to see about Mr. Boots here," he said, patting his chest where he'd placed the picture. "If you need me, just call. Here's my number," he said, holding up one finger. He then turned on his heel, threw open the TARDIS doors, and stepped inside.

Canton watched as the doors shut at the snap of the Doctor's fingers and the TARDIS began fade in and out, wheezing and whirring until, in mere seconds, it and the Doctor were gone.


	2. Rip In The Universe

He ran hurriedly through the long, white corridors, his long legs carrying him with ease, though it did make it difficult to make sharp turns. He came to the end of one very long hall and threw open the door at the end and burst into the room.

Three scientists were standing around in hazmat suits, hovering over a small metal table where some gooey substance had been placed on a tray. It was obvious they had been poking and prodding at it in an attempt to determine what it was, because it appeared to be leaking in some places, small pools of clear goo forming around it on the tray.

"Hey! What are you doing?" one of the scientists asked in surprise as the tall, skinny man entered the room.

Ignoring the three scientists, he crossed the room in an instant and pushed the two scientists nearest him aside, looking down at the tray with a look of pity and alarm. His expression changed in a flash, suddenly becoming angry.

"Sir, you can't be in here," one of the scientists protested again, looking around at her colleagues in concern. She obviously didn't like the fact that he had walked in without a suit; instead donning a black dress jacket, a blue shirt, black slacks and red converse.

"What have you done?" he said, jaw tight. He turned and looked at three scientists angrily. "Didn't you hear it screaming?"

One of the scientists slunk over to the far wall and pressed a button on an intercom and spoke into it. "Hey, can someone get Mr. Tyler down to Section D? Room 12."

"Sir, could you please lea-" one of the scientists tried to say.

"Doctor Smith," he said.

"Sorry?"

"Doctor James Smith," he said, then pulled his credentials from one of the pockets of his jacket and showed it to each of them. He put it away and then leaned over the pile of goo, face drawn with worry. "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"We've been trying to determine what it is," the female scientist explained.

"Yes, I can see that," James snapped. "And you've hurt it. Badly."

"Hurt it?"

"Yes, it's alive. Didn't you notice? Or were you too busy trying to get samples?" James growled angrily. He looked around, grabbed a container of some clear substance and then glanced up at one of the scientists.

"You, what's your name?"

"Niles."

"Where's water?"

"Huh?"

"Water. I need water. A cup will do. Now!" James shouted impatiently and Niles quickly ran out of the room to fetch water.

James opened the container he had grabbed and dipped his fingers in it, pulling out the clear gel. He carefully began lathering it onto the jello-like alien.

"What are your names?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

The two scientists glanced at each other nervously.

"I'm Doctor Jenna Warrens and this is Doctor Lance Thompson."

James nodded in acknowledgement, eyes still focused on the gelatinous creature as he put more and more of the goo on its surface. "Jenna, on floor 3, room 17, there's a table at the far end of the room. It's got lots of vials. I need you to bring me the blue one. Lance, I need a packet of plain Jell-o. And I need it now."

The two nodded and darted off to find what he needed.

Niles returned shortly with a cup of water. "Is it okay that it's from the water fountain down the hall?"

James snatched it from him and very slowly began to pour it over the gelatinous substance, brows knitted together in concentration.

The door to the room opened, but James kept his focus on his task until he'd poured two tablespoons of water onto the alien. He then straightened up and looked around, expecting either Jenna or Lance to have returned with what he'd asked for.

Pete Tyler stood there instead.

"Hello, James. What are you doing down here?" he asked calmly.

James felt heat flush his face as anger rose in him. Without a word, he stepped aside to show Pete the alien on the tray.

Pete glanced at it and then looked at James again. "And?"

"They were torturing it," James hissed angrily. "We agreed that all life forms were to be handled by me."

"There weren't any signs that it was alive," Niles protested.

"What, you mean it wasn't pink, fleshy, and stupid?" James snapped, glaring the young scientist down. "I heard it screaming... all the way from upstairs."

"It wasn't screaming," Niles said, turning to Pete imploringly. "We would've heard it."

Just then the two other scientists came into the room, carrying what each had been instructed to get.

James grabbed the blue vial and Jell-o and turned back to the gelatine alien.

He poured a little bit of the of the liquid from the vial on it then emptied the packet of Jell-o. Slowly, the holes and cuts created by the needles and scalpel began melding back together.

Pete and the three scientists all watched in fascination.

"You wouldn't have heard it scream because it was doing it on a psychic level," James explained, calming himself down slightly as he watched the alien heal. He looked at Pete. "I'll be taking this."

Pete nodded his assent.

James picked up the tray and then looked at the three scientists, who were staring at him in silent admiration. "Next time, check with me."

At their nods, he skirted them and walked out the door with the tray.

Pete followed, walking beside him.

"James."

"This could've been prevented," James said, looking down at the alien to make sure it was alright. It had completely healed and he could no longer hear its cries and whimpers of pain. "They just assumed."

"I know. I'll handle it," Pete replied. He put his hands in his pockets and then met James' eyes. "You're not making this easy, you know."

"Really? Oh, well I apologize. Sorry I have to drop what I'm doing every other week to stop your idiot scientists from creating black holes and blowing up the building and killing every unusual creature they come across," James snapped indignantly.

"You know that's not what I mean, James. You've turned down nearly every assignment I've given you, sabotaging others, disrupting research... Don't get me wrong, you're a genius. Smarter than a genius, but you're hopeless. It's a miracle if I can get you working on something."

"Half the things you ask me to make, you're not supposed to have," James said. "Not yet anyway."

"The teleport?"

"Not for another ten years."

"The nano-bodies?"

"Thirty-four."

"But you could make it," Pete said. "If you wanted to. You know how."

"I could, but I won't," James replied flatly. "Like I said, you're not supposed to have those things yet. When the time comes, I'll build it, but only then."

"See? Hopeless. What's the point of having you if we can't utilize your knowledge?" Pete asked.

They stopped at one of the dozens of doors lining the hallway, which Pete opened for James to step inside without having to jostle the tray.

They lab/office was filled to the brim with equipment, books, papers, containers and bottles of different liquids and other materials. A desk stood pressed up against the left wall, where books and boxes crowded it, leaving only a small path to get to the chair. A computer, keyboard and lamp sat on the desk's surface. On the other side of the room was a long counter that was stacked with various electronic items, materials, vials and papers.

Overall, the room was in disarray.

Pete looked around, frowning. "What have you been doing?"

James stepped over a collapsed pile of books and set the tray down on an open space on the counter, leaning down over the gelatinous creature and sending it thoughts of encouragement and comfort. He turned, looked around the room and shrugged. "I got busy."

"Doing what? You turned down every assignment I gave you this week," Pete said in exasperation.

"Just some research," James said dismissively.

Pete sighed, opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when a muffled ring filled the room. He sighed again and pulled out his cell phone. "Pete Tyler."

He paused and listened.

James watched him for a moment and then turned, leaning against the counter behind him and looking around. His office really was a mess, but he had meant it when he said he had been busy. He had been driving himself crazy trying to figure out how to make the little piece of TARDIS coral the Doctor had given him before he had left to grow faster. He wasn't sure he had the patience to wait twenty years, so he decided he would see if it was possible to make it grow more quickly.

So far, research pointed to no.

That wasn't the only thing he had been working on. Ever since he had generated, he had felt naked and he hadn't figured out why that was until the Doctor and Donna had dropped them off at Bad Wolf Bay.

He didn't have a sonic screwdriver.

He was so used to having it as a lightweight in his pocket that now he felt positively lopsided without it. In the two months that followed, he had endeavored to make himself one, but without a TARDIS to help, it had proved to be more difficult than he thought it would.

He was fairly certain it was almost finished. It needed a few test runs before he could be sure.

Pete finished his phone call and hung up, sliding his cell back into its case on his belt. He put his hands on his hips and looked at James. "Well, we've got a problem..."

James' brows rose with interest. "Oh?"

Pete nodded. "Something's happened. And it looks like it might be a rip in the universe," he said.

James blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"And someone just went through."

"In which direction? Coming or going?" James asked, standing up and crossing the room in three steps, ready to get going.

"Coming."

* * *

><p>The rip had evidently opened right over a river. The police had been the first to arrive, having received several strange calls about a man falling out of the sky and into the water below. Spectators had lined the bridge, watching as the police pulled forth a tall man from the freezing February water.<p>

The ambulance and Torchwood vehicles arrived shortly after.

James and Pete got out of the first vehicle, followed by several dozen uniformed Torchwood agents. They immediately spread out and began forming a wider perimeter, getting the cooperation of the police officers and paramedics who had arrived and trying to disperse the crowd that had formed.

Pete, James, a handful of scientists, and a few agents made a beeline for the man who had come through the tear.

He was tall, a little paler than most and had an athletic build (not the kind that weight lifts, but more the kind that could run fast and fight hard if the need arose). He had dark brown hair, small, intense amber eyes, sharp features and was drenched. His long black coat and black suit clung to his skin and dripped rivulets of water into his cowboy boots. He looked up as the small group approached him, running a hand through his hair and shaking it out.

James immediately went to the bridge, standing so that he was level with where the tear was. It wasn't visible, but he could feel a tension in the air where it had formed. His skin tingled and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Pulling out the makeshift sonic screwdriver from his pocket (he had decided that this was a perfect opportunity to test it out) he pointed it at the tear, the little blue light on the end of the metal tube lighting up and buzzing.

It did fine for the whole of two seconds and then started whining and whistling, the light flickering on and off. James sighed and hit it a few times against his palm, tried again, but to no avail.

"Is that a sonic?"

James turned to see the man watching him with an interested expression. Pete and the Torchwood agents were now also watching him, and Pete didn't seem too pleased.

James blinked, looked at the sonic and then back at the man with a deer in the headlights expression.

"What, this? Um, well, it's a... an um... well, it's..."

"You've been building a sonic screwdriver?" Pete asked, jaw tight as he tried to mask his anger.

The man looked between James and Pete and then focused on Pete. "Not to interrupt the argument I mistakenly sparked, but haven't you got more important things to tend to, Mr. Tyler?"

Pete turned to give him a suspicious glare. "Who are you?"

"Morgan. Morgan Gates," the man said, formally extending his hand. "And you're Pete Tyler, head of the Torchwood Institute of this universe."

Pete glared at the hand, but shook it nonetheless. "How do you know that?"

"I have my resources," Morgan replied.

"Well, for your sake, I'd tell me all about them," Pete said threateningly.

Morgan chuckled. "I'm not here to cause trouble, Mr. Tyler," he assured him, glanced off towards a group of scientists, frowned, and raised his voice to address them, "Oh, and I wouldn't fuss with that rip, if I were you. It's perfectly stable and completely natural. It will close in twenty-four hours all on its own."

The scientists looked at him and then at Pete for confirmation.

Pete looked flummoxed.

James decided to save him. The sonic screwdriver might have died on him, but it had given him the information he needed. He turned to the waiting scientists. "He's right. It'll close. Best just to make sure no one messes with it."

They nodded, packed their equipment and headed back to their vans.

James looked around to find Morgan staring intensely at him.

Pete was staring as well. "You sure?"

James flipped the sonic in the air and caught it again. "It may be a pile of junk, but it worked just fine," he said, then grinned. "Because I'm just that clever."

"Must be. That's very high-tech equipment," Morgan remarked admiringly.

He turned his attention back to Pete. "Mr. Tyler, I am aware that you have questions for me, and I am more than willing to answer them, but I'm afraid my limbs are going to start falling off my body if I stay outside any longer. Perhaps we could take this conversation elsewhere? Preferably somewhere warmer, if it's all the same."

James thought Pete was going to protest, but he instead led Morgan to one of the vans.

James followed, depositing the sonic screwdriver into his pocket, but before he got in, Pete stopped him, shutting the door so that Morgan couldn't overhear their conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me about the sonic?"

James had been afraid of this. He sighed and set his jaw resolutely. "What if I had? You would have told me to give it to you and I would have told you no. You can't have this kind of technology yet."

"But you can?"

James felt anger rush up into his chest. It wasn't what he said. It was what he was implying in that sentence; he wasn't the Doctor anymore. He didn't get to make those kinds of decisions. Pete had been kind and helpful since the Doctor had dropped him and Rose off at Bad Wolf Bay, but something had been different. James could feel it and slowly had begun to see what it was.

He saw him as some cheap version of the real thing. James warded off the unsavory replies that entered his mind and fought to keep his voice even and calm.

"Yes."

Pete looked like he was ready to argue the fact, but stopped when Morgan knocked on the window of the van.

Pete scowled, glanced at James and then got into the van without another word.

James watched him, still working to keep his emotions in check.

He got into a different vehicle.


	3. Something Else Entirely

**Sorry it took so long to upload this. I had some brief writer's block, but I trudged through it. :)**

**Also, for those Rose fans out there, I feel it only fair to warn you that she is not a crucial character in this story. I'm not terribly fond of her personally, I don't enjoy writing her, so I wouldn't expect to see much of her. Apologies.**

* * *

><p>Whatever they had been talking about, it looked like it had relieved the tension between Pete Tyler and Morgan Gates. As the two stepped out of the van, Pete listened fervently to the cowboy-booted man, all suspicion and distrust vanished.<p>

James got out of the car three vehicles behind, catching them in the middle of an apparently important conversation.

"I would advise immediate action, Mr. Tyler," Morgan said. "We can hold our own on our side, but we will need your support to take control of the situation."

Pete nodded and then gestured towards the doors to the headquarters of Torchwood. Morgan followed him inside.

James followed as well, only taking a few seconds to catch up (long legs had their advantages).

Morgan glanced back at him as he approached, stopped in the middle of his sentence and offered James his hand. "We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Morgan Gates."

James took the hand and shook it. "James Smith."

"Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Fantastic," Morgan said with a grin. "A good one, by the looks of it. Not a lot of people have the smarts it takes to make a sonic device. In fact... no one in this era has the smarts to make one."

James furrowed his brows, looked at Pete, and gestured with his thumb to Morgan. "Who is this?"

"He's a Time Agent currently working for Torchwood in the other universe," Pete replied.

James looked Morgan up and down. Something wasn't sitting right with him, although he couldn't put his finger on it. It might have been just that Morgan's smile reminded him eerily of a shark. "Who's your boss?"

"I don't work for Jack Harkness, if that's what you're asking. We're in separate departments," Morgan answered coolly.

James arched a brow at him.

Morgan smiled patiently. "He's busy with another case. This one's been assigned to me."

"He's here for our help," Pete said.

"We've discovered multiple, hm, fractures, let's call them, in our universe. Most of them have been small and for the most part manageable, but there have been a few larger ones."

"What kind of fractures?" James asked.

"We're not entirely sure, but they've caused damage on a molecular level. The reports indicate that any matter within range of the fracture simply disintegrates."

"They suspect that these... events, will start happening over here," Pete said.

"We believe we've developed a system to identify them before they appear," Morgan continued. "And with your superior technology, I think we can find a solution to destroying them before they can cause any damage over here."

"When did these fractures start appearing?" James asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"A little over a week ago."

"Do you know what's causing them?"

Morgan shook his head and was about to say more when a Torchwood agent caught up to the three of them just as they'd reached Pete's office. The young man turned to Pete. "Mr. Tyler, your wife and daughter are here."

Pete nodded and the agent dismissed himself.

"Lunch?" James asked.

"Probably," Pete replied.

Just then the two blondes came around the corner, white plastic bags in their hands. "Hello, boys," Jackie said as she walked up (quite clumsily in the ridiculously high pumps she was wearing) and kissed Pete on the cheek. She did the same to James. "Tony's with a sitter, so we have a few hours to ourselves."

Rose followed behind her, glanced briefly at Morgan and then turned her attention to James, smiling sweetly. "Morning. How's business?"

James smiled at her. "Booming."

"Good to hear," she said and then looked at Morgan again. "Who're you?"

James smiled to himself. Normally, she wouldn't really have cared, but she was clever and she knew when something didn't belong.

Morgan smiled brightly at her. "Morgan. Morgan Gates," he said, offering his hand, which she shook. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Tyler."

Rose nodded and smiled, but she looked slightly uncomfortable. "You work for Pete?"

"Oh, no. I'm just a visitor here on business. Don't mind me," he said, stepping away from the group. "Mr. Tyler, do you mind at all if I head off to your labs? I'd like to get started on our project."

Pete nodded.

James watched Morgan walk off, wondering why Pete had allowed him to wander the building unattended. He was probably being paranoid due to the strange circumstances of Morgan Gates' arrival, but something just didn't feel right and he couldn't let go of it.

"James?" Rose asked.

He looked at her. "Yes?"

"You alrigh'?"

He nodded, looked down at the bag in her hand. "Thai?"

She nodded the affirmative. "We weren't sure what you'd like, so we got jus' about everything on the menu to be safe. Do you even like Thai food?"

"Not sure. Haven't had any since I regenerated," James said, then grinned at her. "I guess we'll find out together."

She smiled.

* * *

><p>The four of them went into Pete's office and sat down at a table off to the left in the corner, put there specifically for when Jackie and Rose brought lunch or dinner, which they did quite often. James assumed it was because Jackie was trying to make up for lost time with Pete, which was perfectly understandable and he wouldn't have minded it, but he felt awkward nonetheless. He wasn't accustomed to sitting down with family and having a meal. He had done it once or twice before, but he hadn't done it with "family" in a long time.<p>

He was mostly quiet, listening to the fairly dull conversations while the back of his mind digested everything he currently knew about Morgan Gates. Something kept nagging at him, but he was unable to come up with what it might be.

He broke out of his subconscious reverie when Rose put a hand on his arm. He looked at it, then at her. "Sorry?"

Rose gave him a scrutinizing look. "Are you alrigh'?"

"Yep, dandy, fine, good. You? How are you? What were we talking about? My mind wandered off for a minute, there."

"Nothing, really," Pete said.

Jackie elbowed him. "I was telling you about my day!"

"Right... nothing, really."

James smiled.

Jackie glared at him, but the love in it was visible and Pete only smiled. She turned to James. "Oh, James, I watered that piece of coral for you. It was looking a little dry."

"For the hundredth time, Mum, it's not coral!" Rose groaned. "And it doesn't need to be watered."

"It's fine, Rose. She can water it if she wants. It doesn't hurt it any," James said, taking a bite of noodles.

"Well, if it doesn't need water, then what does it need?" Jackie asked.

"It's really complicated, Jackie," James said. "I don't think you would understand if I told you. Talking to it might help, though."

"How long did you say it would take to grow?" Rose asked.

"Twenty years," James replied.

"You know, James, I'm surprised you're as open as you are about the TARDS-to-be," Pete mused. "Aren't you worried I'll try and take it?"

James dropped his chop sticks and leaned back against his chair, jaw tight, leveling his gaze to Pete's.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked, sitting up as tension built in the room.

James pulled out the sonic screwdriver and showed it to Rose.

"Is that a sonic?" Rose asked, eyes alight with interest.

He nodded and put it back in his pocket. "We had an argument about it earlier."

"Why are you two always fighting?" Jackie asked, looking between them, clearly upset.

James sighed. He didn't want to go over this again. All it would do would spark an argument with Pete and he wasn't in the mood.

"Doesn't matter," James said, then stood up. "I, uh... have to get back to work."

Rose frowned at him. "O-okay. Mind if I tag along... to your office?"

He shook his head. "By all means."

She stood up and the two of them left, James' hands stuffed into his pockets.

Rose looked at him. "James."

"Hm?" he asked distractedly. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"Are you sure you're alrigh'?" she asked him earnestly.

"Of course I am. Why do you keep asking that?"

"Well, you've been acting... strange, lately."

"Strange how?"

"Distracted. Quiet. That's the big one, really. Quiet. You're never quiet."

The Doctor was never quiet. The thought popped into his mind unbidden and it took some effort to keep it from spilling out of his mouth. He banished the thought from his mind, trying to focus on listening to her.

"You're not as... cheerful, I suppose," she said.

He frowned. "I'm just... preoccupied. I'm fine, though," he assured her. "There's been a lot on my mind."

"It's not my Dad, is it?"

He waved his hand as thought to shoo away the very idea. "No, no, it's not him. Really, Rose. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"But-"

"I'm fine," he said- too harsh- and winced. He hadn't meant to sound snappy.

Rose nodded, deciding against prying any further. "So, um... how's the research coming?"

He sighed. "It's not."

"No way to speed it up, then?" she asked in disappointment.

"If there is, I haven't figured it out yet."

"You'd think a time machine would have a fast-forward button or something."

James smiled.

She smiled, too. She grabbed his arm and hugged it. He squeezed her arm.

They parted ways at his office.

"I 'ave some things I need to do today," Rose said. "I'll see you later tonigh', yeah?"

He nodded, kissed her and then watched her walk off. When she had turned the corner, he went into his office.

Morgan Gates stood there.

He jumped, taking a quick inhale of surprise.

Morgan laughed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he said, then looked down at a few papers he was holding. "These are some complicated algorithms."

James looked around confusedly and then at Morgan again. "W-what are you doing here? I thought you went down to the-"

"I did. I got bored. Apparently Mr. Tyler doesn't bother with IQ tests, so I came up here to have a look at your work," he said, then held up a paper covered in the squiggles and writings of a genius mind. "Very impressive."

"I was going for a stick-man there," James said. "Didn't turn out quite right."

Morgan chuckled, put the papers back on the stack he'd gotten them from and then leaned against James' desk. "How long did it take you to make that screwdriver?"

James scowled at him, crossed the room to his desk and began clearing it of clutter.

Morgan stared at him thoughtfully. "I think your Donna is showing."

James froze. The room suddenly felt hot, closing in around him suffocatingly. He turned, looking around at him with fresh alarm. "What did you say?"

Morgan grinned.

There were only a handful of people who knew what and who he was, all of whom he trusted would never tell a soul about him, so how could he possibly know?

"Meta-crisis, I believe its called?" Morgan remarked, "You're one of a kind."

James glanced at the door, counting the steps and time it would take to get out of the room. He wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but he wanted to be prepared for the worst.

"Relax, Doctor Smith. I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Who are you?"

"I already told you," he said, then made a face. "Although, I may have taken a few liberties."

"Such as?"

"Such as working for Torchwood. And the fractures, but that's all, really."

"The fractures were a lie?"

"Not entirely. They're real, but not remotely as dangerous as I may have made them out to be. They're just a distraction from the real reason I'm here."

James' jaw tightened and he stood rigidly. "Which is?"

"I'm looking for the Doctor."

James blinked at him. "Um... I think you have the wrong universe."

Morgan stared at him, his face void of emotion. "I'm aware."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"He's gone."

"He's a time-traveler. That's bound to happen," James said tensely.

"No, not gone as in missing. He's dead gone."

Again, James blinked. "What?"

"Dead. Departed. No longer living. Word's spreading that he was murdered."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but once they did, the dropped into the pit of his stomach. He felt paralyzed. That wasn't right. He was lying. He had to be lying. He tried to fight off the confusion and get his thoughts together, but he couldn't think.

"Well, that's what they say, anyway," Morgan reiterated.

James looked at him. "You don't think he's dead?"

Morgan shrugged. "Possibly. Only one way to tell. That's the reason I'm here."

There was a moment's pause, as though Morgan were waiting for James to connect the dots. When he didn't speak, he continued.

"I'm here for you."

James' brow raised and he pointed a finger at his chest. "Me?"

Morgan nodded.

James licked his suddenly dry lips. "Why?"

"You're part Time Lord. Time Lord's can sense other Time Lords, can they not? I'd wager that you might even have a strong psychic link to him."

James was about to answer, but stopped himself. "Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to reach him from this universe."

"I'm aware."

James' brow rose even higher at that. "You want to take me to the other universe?"

"Precisely."

James could hardly believe his ears. "I'm not going there."

"No one's making you," Morgan replied calmly. "But I would suggest you consider it."

"Why? If the Doctor is dead, then there's nothing I can do and if he isn't, then he hasn't shown up for a reason. Either way, it would be pointless to bother."

"And under different circumstances I would agree with you."

"But?" Why was he even having this conversation?

"But this isn't just about the Doctor. It's about his friends."

James started at that. "Are they alright?"

"For now, yes, although I don't know how much longer that will last. The organization that allegedly killed the Doctor are going to target them now. Take out anyone who might oppose them. They've already attempted to kill the Doctor's more recent companions. Its only a matter of time before they get to them."

"They haven't yet?"

"They're under protection, but as I said, that won't last long."

James absently ran a hand through his hair, trying to let his brain sort through the information. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he looked out the door in rising alarm. "Rose..."

"She's safe here for the time being," Morgan said. "But if I can get to you, they can get to you and I doubt they would be very happy to find out the Doctor had a duplicate."

"Who are they?"

"They're dangerous," Morgan said.

"How am I supposed to help?"

"The Doctor knows how to fight these things. If he's alive, we alert him of the situation and help him handle it."

"And if he isn't?"

"We handle it anyway."

James walked over to a wall and leaned against it, still mussing with his hair. He looked up at Morgan. "Why should I believe anything you're telling me?"

"I can't make you believe me," Morgan stated.

"Can you prove it?" James pressed.

Morgan stared evenly at him. "No."

"Then why should I listen to anything you say? Why shouldn't I tell Pete what you're really up to? Why should I not walk out this door right now and call security?"

"The same reason you haven't yet," Morgan replied calmly. "Part of you believes me and if you ignore it and don't come with me and your friends die, you'd never be able to live with yourself."

James growled in frustration. He was right about that. Though part of him was mistrusting of Morgan, part of him did believe him and if he was telling the truth, he couldn't turn his back on his friends. Besides, Rose might be in danger and he couldn't let anything happen to her.

He sighed and locked gazes with Morgan. "I'd have to go back?"

Morgan nodded.

"Through the portal you came through?"

He nodded again.

"Why didn't you tell Pete any of this?"

Morgan frowned at him. "Oh, come now. All of the Doctor's friends are in danger. What do you think Mr. Tyler would do if I had told him? Either he would've put you, Rose, Mrs. Tyler and his son in intense protective custody to keep you safe, or he would've wanted to come along, something I cannot allow to happen."

"Why is that?"

"I'm attempting to keep a low profile, which is hard enough when you open a portal to another dimension. I can manage bringing back one other person with me, but two or more would be risky, if not deadly. Not to mention the effects it might have on the portal itself."

James stared at him thoughtfully. "Why are you even doing this?"

"What?"

"Trying to save my friends?"

Morgan smiled. "It's not just me, you know. The Doctor makes allies everywhere he goes, whether he's aware of it or not, and they strive to aid him whenever they can. Now is their chance."

James groaned. "You make it sound like a religious movement."

Morgan laughed at that. "He's not God. They know that. He's just a good man doing the right thing and for that reason people want to help him. It makes them feel important; gives them hope."

James nodded in understanding. He'd seen what the human race could do with hope and it had been breath-taking. It warmed his heart to know that people cared about what he had done as the Doctor, and were willing to help. He just hoped that there would be no blood-shed. Too many people had died helping the Doctor.

"Are you agreeing to go with me?" Morgan asked.

James let out a long breath, putting his hands once again into his pockets and nodded.

Morgan smiled brightly and James couldn't help but grimace. He had an unnerving smile. His eyes had the same affect and he tried not to look at them.

"Wonderful. I'll see to the arrangements. We'll need to leave just before the portal closes. I don't want people following after us; that would arouse too much attention on the other side. It's going to be difficult enough with just the two of us," Morgan said, looking down at the floor in contemplation. He then waved a hand. "We'll worry about that after we've done it. Will you need anything?"

James hesitated, not having actually thought about how long this might take, or how he would get back, for that matter. "Um..."

Morgan made a dismissive gesture. "No matter. I'm sure we'll have everything you need over there. Except perhaps that sonic, if you wanted to bring that along. It's up to you, of course."

"How long-"

"Hopefully no more than a week," Morgan interrupted distractedly, heading for the door with long, hurried strides.

James watched him as he threw open the door, peered out into the hall and then turned back to him again. "We have, what, twenty-two hours to kill?"

"I think so," James replied.

Morgan frowned. "Ugh. That's going to be boring. Ah, well. I'm sure I can find something entertaining to do until that time."

James furrowed his brows at him. "Morgan..."

"Yes, Doctor Smith?"

"James."

"Yes?"

"Did you travel with him?"

Morgan stared at him.

"The Doctor."

"No... why?"

"You act like him."

Morgan blinked in surprise. "Do I?"

James nodded.

"Interesting. More interesting; you don't."

He frowned. "I know."

"Why so... sullen?"

James expression became hard. "That's none of your business."

Morgan looked surprised at the reaction and held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "I meant no harm. I was simply curious. As I recall, the Doctor tends to portray a more... jovial nature. Like Santa Claus."

James' face changed into a slight glower. "I'm not the Doctor."

Morgan smiled. "No. You're something else entirely."

He couldn't keep the puzzled look off of his face as Morgan turned and left him in his office, feeling confused, angry and off-balance. He felt like some sort of battle had just taken place, and he had lost terribly. That was happening a lot lately. He rubbed his face, feeling thoroughly disgruntled and slightly vulnerable all of a sudden.

Sighing (he had caught himself sighing a lot lately) he turned to the stacks of papers and books and started busily distracting himself. He still had twenty-two hours to kill.


	4. Jack and The Doctor

**I think next chapter gets more exciting. I'm trying not to go too fast and rush into everything before I've set up the story. I make that mistake too often, but now I'm afraid I'm going too slow. Oh, well. :P **

* * *

><p>Jack wasn't a paranoid person (which was surprising considering the various monsters and aliens he had encountered in his abnormally long lifetime) but he certainly didn't ignore instincts and caution.<p>

He was supposed to be alone in this section of the building. The doors had been locked, so there was simply no reason he should have been able to hear the soft shuffle of footsteps. Not paranoia; just caution.

He had been working late that night, looking into some strange occurrences that had been happening all over England involving spots that would simply vaporize low-density objects that went near it. It wasn't harmful to humans, but if someone happened to walk by with a bunch of paperwork, it would inexplicably vanish.

He was sitting at a computer looking over a map detailing the occurrences when he first heard the footsteps. He turned and looked around, his instincts kicking in. He reached for the gun on his shoulder holster, slowly taking it out. The footsteps grew closer. They were quick, uneven, but determined.

He'd been around a while and he had become familiar with his co-workers. He knew what they sounded like when they were coming. These footsteps belonged to none of them.

He stood from the chair and slowly approached the door. He had barely taken a step when the door (which had been locked) opened up and a man came walking hurriedly in.

Another thing about Jack was that very few things surprised him. He had seen too many weird and freaky things -the aliens and monsters included- for anything to really get to him. That being said, his brow rose in surprise as a tall man in a tweed jacket with elbow patches, bracers and a red bow-tie stepped into the room, twiddling his fingers and looking around in an absent-minded sort of way.

He stopped at the door, looked around for a moment and then his eyes fell on Jack and they seemed to light up, a big, childlike grin spreading across his face.

"Hello, Jack! Sorry to bother you. Am I interrupting anything?"

Jack blinked in confusion, gun held slack in his hand. "Who are you?"

The man looked equally confused by this and he simply stared at him for a moment or two before he finally spoke, "Oh, right! I forgot. I changed my hair. And my clothes. And my face." He looked around again distractedly.

A light-bulb might as well have appeared over Jack's head and he wondered how he had managed to miss it. "Doctor?"

The Doctor looked up at having been addressed and smiled.

"Yes, hello," he said cheerfully, then fully entered the room, looked Jack over briefly and then walked past him. "Mind if I borrow your computer?"

Jack opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted. "...I heard you were dead."

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Exaggeration. Where did you hear that anyway?"

"An old Time Agent buddy of mine," Jack replied, watching the Doctor skip over to one of the computers and plop himself down on the chair in front of it. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for someone," the Doctor replied. "Possibly several someone's. We'll see."

"Who?"

The Doctor spun himself in the swivel-chair and flung a picture at him like a Frisbee. It flew surprisingly smoothly through the air and he caught it easily. He then looked down at the six figures there.

"Where's the scanner? I need to run it through your database," the Doctor asked, looking around the room.

Jack took the picture to a scanner and ran it through, then went over to the Doctor, hovering over him as he easily got past the Torchwood computers' security protocols. He then began to run the faces of the men in the picture through the database.

"Looks like we need a new password," Jack commented.

"It wouldn't help," the Doctor said with a smug smile as he watched the computer work to match faces.

"Who are these guys?" Jack asked.

"No idea. That's why I'm here. I call him Mr. Boots," the Doctor said, pointing to the man in the long black coat and cowboy boots. "He's the ring-leader."

"Why are you looking for them?"

"Well, they're looking for me, so it seemed only fair," the Doctor replied with a flash of a grin.

The computer suddenly beeped and the Doctor's smile grew even wider. "Ah, good! Let's see what we got..." he said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them with child-like excitement. The expression dissipated as he read over the first page. "Oh, dear..."

"What?" Jack asked, leaning over the Doctor's shoulder to take a look at the screen. "Oh, wow. That's a lot of results."

"Jack, do you recognize Mr. Boots?"

"No. Why?"

"Because these results all come from different time periods with nothing in the way of identification. See? Just pictures."

He was right. Many of the dates on the matching pictures ranged from the sixteen hundreds to the present year. There were even a handful gathered from the Time Agency that went several hundred years into the future. The only constant was the cowboy-booted man. Apparently someone else had noticed this man appearing in pictures over history and had compiled them into one folder entitled-

"The Cowboy?" Jack read the title of the file aloud.

"That's stupid. He doesn't even have a hat," the Doctor said, scrunching his face in distaste. "He should have a hat. Stetsons are cool. He should get a Stetson."

"A black one," Jack said. "Wouldn't want to veer off that fabulous color theme."

The Doctor smiled and then leaned back in the chair, staring at the screen thoughtfully. "So... no name... shows up all over history..."

"Time Agent," Jack supplied.

"Ex," the Doctor corrected. "Gone rogue."

"You pull that out of your magical hat?" Jack inquired.

"I looked him up with the TARDIS," the Doctor said casually, standing from the seat and snatching the picture from the scanner.

"Wait... you already looked him up?"

"Yes."

"Then... what did you need the computer for?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I didn't. I just wanted to see if you recognized him. You were both Time Agents at one point and I wanted to see if he was familiar to you. And I've got my answer."

"You could've just asked, you know."

The Doctor gave him a puzzled look. "I just did."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Cryptically. Doesn't count." He then clasped his hands. "So, what do you need from me?"

The Doctor looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how can I help?"

"You can't. I got everything I needed from you," the Doctor said hurriedly, already heading back the way he came.

"You mean that's it?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"You came to Torchwood just to see if I knew this guy?" Jack pressed.

"Yes."

"You hate Torchwood."

"Good observation."

"You wouldn't come here just for that," Jack said, giving the Doctor a scrutinizing gaze.

"But I did."

"No, you didn't."

The Doctor looked at Jack evenly and Jack got the sudden impression that something was weighing on him heavily.

Despite his curiosity, he didn't want to question the Doctor about it. Not for lack of interest or care, but because if the Doctor felt Jack should know, he would have told him. He had only pressed as he had because he could tell the Doctor wanted something and just wasn't yet willing to ask. Why, he didn't know. But he had come to Torchwood, which meant it was important.

After several seconds of silence and staring at each other, the Doctor sighed. "Mr. Boots knows I'm not dead. Normally that wouldn't worry me too much, but the people that tried to kill me in the first place... well, they really don't like me. Obviously. They tried to kill me. Which, again, normally not something that would worry me. I get that all the time. It's the way they tried to do it. They involved my friends and... someone I care about. I won't tolerate that. It wouldn't matter to me if Mr. Boots knew I was alive, but what he does with that information is what really concerns me. The TARDIS had more information on him than your database does."

"What did you find?" Jack asked patiently, placing his hands on his hips.

"He was special forces in the army, got dishonorably discharged... no records as to why, became a Time Agent, went rogue, became a hit-man and dealer of top-secret information, has a cat allergy," the Doctor said.

Jack whistled. "Professional killer."

"More than that," the Doctor said. "There's no pattern. Every kill is different. And he only takes jobs that interest him."

"You're very interesting," Jack observed.

The Doctor nodded. "Exactly. If I only have to deal with him, it shouldn't be more of an issue than usual-"

"But if he decides to sell his information on you to the people who tried to kill you-" Jack supplied.

"It could involve my friends," the Doctor finished. The childish joy vanished from his features, making his expression drawn and worried. His current regeneration had a bit of a baby-face, but the eyes remained ancient and wise as ever.

"Right..." Jack said, thinking for a moment. His brows furrowed and he looked at the Doctor. "Cat allergy?"

"Apparently," the Doctor replied. "He turned down a job that should have interested him. It involved Cat-kind. I can't say I entirely blame him. I only met two I really liked, not counting the kids of one of them. Do you think calling Cat-kind children kittens would be offensive? Never thought to ask. But then I was a little busy at the time. I didn't even get to ask their names."

"Doc," Jack said, interrupting him before he could get into a rant. "What do you want from me? I'll help however I can."

"There's only one thing I need you to do... no, actually, two... possibly three. Maybe four. No more than six things."

Jack waited.

"First, I need you to keep everyone under surveillance. I'll try and get you a list."

"No need," Jack said.

The Doctor stopped just before getting into his next sentence. "No need for what?"

"Well, the list for one. And as far as keeping an eye on everyone, that's already been taken care of."

"It has? By who? When? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Well... you were dead."

"Oh, right. Hmm... being dead is turning out to be more of a hassle than I thought it would," the Doctor mused.

Jack laughed. "Well, it got people talking about what we should do. With you gone, there was the possibility that your old companions could be targeted. Your allies got together and decided to watch them; protect them."

"My allies?"

"Torchwood- secretly, obviously- some Silurians who liked you, a couple of politicians, lots of grateful citizens, and more," Jack said.

The Doctor blinked.

Jack smiled. "You leave an impression, Doc."

"They're not in any danger, are they?"

Jack laughed. "It's nothing they can't handle."

"So they're safe. That's good. What else? The second thing. Has anything suspicious happened recently?"

"This is Torchwood, Doctor. Suspicious is in the job description."

"No, more than usual."

Jack thought for a moment. "Well... um... I might have a few things."

The Doctor plopped himself down on a seat and lifted his legs so that his heels rested on a table nearby. "I'm all ears. Not literally, of course, but I came fairly close to meaning it that way in my ninth regeneration. You remember. Quite glad to be rid of those. I mean, really, those ears were-"

"Do you want to hear what I have or not?"

"Sorry. Go on."

Jack sat down at his computer and brought up the file he had been looking at when the Doctor had shown up. "I've been finding these disturbances branching out across England. They look like distortions of some sort, unstable enough to cause some minor damage, but nothing dangerous. We have a team out right now fixing them."

"But?"

"But there's something weird about them."

"Weird how?"

"Weird as in it looks like a trail of bread crumbs."

The Doctor stood from his seat and then leaned over Jack's shoulder to have a look at the folder.

"At first I thought they were showing up at random, but-"

"But they don't branch out on the sides. They just lead up and away. It starts off here in Cardiff, not far from this very spot," he noted, "and then zig-zags off towards London."

Jack nodded.

"Those aren't distortions. They're pockets of molecules shaken up until they become agitated and unstable. They're easy enough to fix. Do you have a nucleus-formatter. What else?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure this is anything important, but one of the distor- pockets... is different from the others."

"How so?"

"Well, it's bigger, for one. Secondly, we can't figure out exactly where it is. The instrument we use to track and repair the others started malfunctioning."

"How much bigger?"

"We can't tell. Anything we use on it starts malfunctioning."

"Ooh, now that sounds promising," the Doctor said, smiling in excitement. "Which pocket is it?"

"The first one. The one here in Cardiff."

"And you can't tell where it is?"

Jack shook his head.

"Well, Captain, I wouldn't worry about it anymore. I'll find it and fix it for you. Not to worry," he said, giving Jack a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Wait, is that it?" he asked, turning in his seat as he watched the Doctor hop across the room, back in the direction he had come, where the TARDIS undoubtedly was waiting for him.

"Yes, for now. Not to worry, though! The Doctor is on the case," he said with a grin and a wink that didn't quite look right. Without another a word, the Doctor disappeared through the doorway, leaving Jack staring after him with a dumbfounded expression.


	5. Foreboding

James had fourteen hours before Morgan Gates would come to whisk him away to the other universe, which meant he had fourteen hours to explain to Jackie, Pete and Rose where he was going to be for however long this trip might take.

Easier said than done.

Though he wasn't supposed to know it, Pete had assigned some of his agents to watch him upon his arrival to this universe. If it had been anyone but him, they would have done so without detection.

Naturally, however, James had spotted them the moment they had started tailing him. He had ignored them for the most part, because- as much as it irked him- he understood why Pete felt the need to have him watched.

The Doctor hadn't exactly said nice things about him when he had dropped him off. He said flat-out that James was angry and had the potential to be violent and since he had left him in the hands of Pete's daughter, his concern had been understandably placed, even as insulting and annoying as it was.

But now it wasn't just a hindrance. It could turn out to be a problem. He couldn't just tell Pete he was leaving (and even if he did, where would he say he was going that wouldn't sound suspicious?) because Pete would have his agents follow him.

Rose wasn't going to be happy about it either. It wouldn't matter where he would say he was going, she would want to go with him.

He had been going over all of this in his office when he sensed it was time to get off work. He may not have been a full Time Lord anymore, but he still had his time sense.

Standing, he grabbed the prototype sonic and a few papers, stuffed them into his suit jacket's pocket and then headed home.

Pete would stay until later. He usually worked late. Which was fine with James. He wanted to be alone for a while and walk. It gave him time to think.

Unfortunately, all he could think about was what Rose had said to him earlier in the day. She was right, of course. He had been sulky and quiet. It wasn't intentional and he had meant it when he told her that he was preoccupied. He had been racking his brain trying to get the TARDIS to grow faster and to put together the sonic screwdriver.

For the most part, they had been the only things on his mind.

But that wasn't the whole truth and he knew it. Something had been bothering him ever since Bad Wolf Bay and he was doing his best to ignore it.

He passed the bridge Morgan Gates had appeared near on his way to Pete's mansion (he had had it repaired after the Cyber attack and redecorated to Jackie's liking), where two agents stood guard over it. The tear wasn't visible to the naked eye, and although the portal was already starting to waver, James could still feel the tension in the surrounding air where the fabric of the universe's borders had been disturbed.

Every universe has points where the walls keeping one universe separated from another become weak, but typically, they don't open. The most they do is give you shivers if you happen to walk through one. There were ways to open them naturally, without causing damage to either universe, but it was extremely difficult to do. It took a lot of effort and a lot of patience. Opening one up naturally- enough to get a human through- could take years, maybe even decades and after that, it was nearly impossible to keep open for long without risking near-irreparable damage to the area.

Torchwood's mistake at Canary Wharf had been impatience and opening and closing the portal too many times. The only way to safely open a portal and not cause any damage was to do it slowly and only the once.

Morgan Gates had done it right. But how? The other universe's Torchwood had technology beyond its time, yes, but not so much as to be able to do something to this scale. It would be centuries before they were capable of that. Not even this universe could do that.

He didn't realize he had stopped, his mind too focused on other things, busily bringing up more and more questions he didn't have the answers to.

"James?"

He looked around, immediately meeting Rose's gaze.

"Oh. Hello," he said, sheepishly waving at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Heading home. I'd say same as you, but i' looks like somefin' broke. Your feet still work, yeah?"

James looked down at his feet and then back at her. "I think so. Hold on. Let me do a test run." He took a step, then held out his arm for her. "Yep, but maybe you should walk beside me? Just in case."

She smiled, linked arms with him and they continued down the sidewalk together.

"How was your day?" he asked, trying to compensate for his lack of cheer earlier.

"Fine. Busy. I um... I'm looking for a job, actually," she said uncomfortably.

"Why? Are you out of money?" James asked.

"Oh, wha', a woman can' work?"

James furrowed his brows at her, startled and more than a little confused. "What?"

"Chauvinistic pig."

"I didn't mean it like-"

"I'm kidding, stupid," Rose said, elbowing him.

"Oh."

She laughed. "No, it's not money. I'm jus' bored. Bored out of my mind," she threw her head back and groaned, then looked back up at him. "Don' you miss it?"

James swallowed, eyes locked ahead of him.

"Space, the planets, the monsters... all of it. I miss it," she said. When he didn't respond, she looked at him and frowned guiltily. "Oh... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinkin'."

"It's fine," he said, then plastered a smile on his face. "Just a matter of time before I get the TARDIS all growed up."

"Yeah," she said.

They were quiet until they got to the mansion. Jackie greeted them as soon as they had walked through the door.

"Hello, you two!" she said from upstairs. "Dinner's almost finished. It's so nice having a cook. It gives me time to do other things and take care of Tony." She descended the stairs, having wisely replaced the pumps for fluffy, white rabbit house shoes. She may have suddenly acquired a lot of money, but it didn't change her much, at least not in private.

"Like paint your nails?" Rose asked sarcastically.

Jackie scowled at her. "No, like learn a new instrument. I'm getting 'arp lessons."

Rose's brow lifted in mock surprise. "The harp? Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not!" Jackie replied defensively.

"I can play the harp," James piped in. "It's a lovely instrument."

Jackie smiled at him gratefully. "It is. I like it. Now both of you get ready for dinner. Did Pete say if he'd be on time tonight?"

James shook his head. "He didn't say. Bit busy. Saving the world. You know how it is."

Jackie sighed and James could see the sadness in her eyes. This transition hadn't been easy for any of them. Jackie wasn't used to Pete's lifestyle, Pete was still slightly mourning the loss of his previous wife (also Jackie) and Rose was getting used to having two parents instead of one. Plus, she and James were earth-bound now, forced to take the slow path and neither of them had been prepared for it.

Dinner came and went and it was fairly enjoyable. James made efforts to be entertaining, telling them jokes and stories he had heard on his travels, but it hurt him a little to tell them. They weren't technically his stories.

They were the Doctor's.

* * *

><p>He woke up early, like he always did, and started getting ready for work. He shambled down the hall, past Rose's bedroom and made his sleepy way down the stairs.<p>

He managed to go into the kitchen, turn on the light and make himself a bowl of cereal before he saw him sitting at the table and the shock of it nearly made him throw his bowl over his shoulder.

Morgan chuckled. "You scare easily."

James gripped the bowl tightly in his hands, staring in wide-eyed surprise at Morgan. "How did you-"

"Never mind. We have exactly one hour before the portal closes. The portal's closing faster than anticipated. I'd suggest you get what you need."

"What, already? What are you doing here?"

"Getting you, obviously," Morgan replied, though his voice was strained with impatience. "We really don't have time for arguing, Doctor Smith."

"How'd you even get in here? Agents watch this house. Someone should have seen you."

"You forget I worked for Torchwood," Morgan said. "I know how they operate and can avoid them if I wish." He looked down at his watch and frowned. "You have thirty-eight minutes."

James stared at him for a moment, debating whether or not to argue or just chuck his bowl at him. He didn't confuse easily and he wasn't stumped easily, but Morgan kept catching him off-guard somehow and it was starting to get on his nerves.

Morgan sighed. "Please, Doctor Smith. The longer we wait, the longer your friends stay in danger."

Any cutting words or arguments he might have had just vanished and he felt himself calm down. A physical change must have occurred, because Morgan seemed to relax a little as well.

"Is there anything I can pack?" Morgan asked, looking around the lavish, marble kitchen admiringly.

James put the bowl down on the white marble island in the center of the kitchen and shook his head. "No. It shouldn't take that long. I'll be right back."

"Careful you don't wake the lady Tylers. Pete already left for work."

"He did?"

Morgan nodded. "It shouldn't take him long to realize I'm missing and even less to figure out where I'm going."

"Alright. Um... what do I tell them?"

"Who?"

"Pete and Jackie... and Rose. What do I tell them?"

Morgan gave an uncaring shrug. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's easier that way."

James nodded and hurried up the stairs, throwing on some pants, a white undershirt, blue button up shirt and a brown pin-striped suit jacket. After finishing the ensemble with his trainers, he grabbed up the prototype sonic screwdriver, thrust it into his pocket and hurried back down the stairs.

Morgan was waiting for him at the front door.

"Wait. I have tails."

Morgan blinked at him. "What?"

"I have agents following me."

"Oh! Tails. I see. No need to worry about them," Morgan said, waving his hand dismissively as he glanced outside into the darkness.

"What?"

"I've taken care of it," he said and before James could press further, asked, "Do you have a car?"

"No. I walk."

"Run, it is," Morgan said, opening the door. "Are you any good at running?"

"With these legs? How could I not be?"

Morgan smiled and then started off running.

He was fast, but James had done an awful lot of running in his time as the Doctor and -accompanied with his long legs- surpassed Morgan quickly.

Just before he could come around the corner and sprint for the portal at the bridge, he felt a hand tug at his jacket and yank him backwards. He floundered for a moment before managing to catch himself and look around.

Morgan put a finger to his lips and then pointed. "We've got two agents in the way."

Two Torchwood operatives (different than the ones he had seen yesterday) stood at either end of the bridge, looking around with eyes still adjusting to the early morning gloom.

James watched Morgan reach into his pocket and pull out a small metal box. Old instincts kicked in and James immediately grabbed his wrist. Morgan looked at him in surprise.

"What is that?" James asked.

"It's just a short-range stunner," Morgan said.

"Let me see it," James said.

He expected him to argue and couldn't keep the look of surprise off of his face as Morgan handed it to him without hesitation. He quickly replaced the expression with determination as he examined the object. Deciding that that was indeed what Morgan claimed it to be, he grasped it tightly, pulled his arm back and tossed it.

Having the impeccable aim that he did, he threw it straight at chunk of wood that was being used to keep an abandoned shopping cart full of empty cans from rolling down the hill it was on. As expected, it began to roll until it bumped into a trash bin, which tottered for a moment on the spot, before falling heavily onto a nondescript black SUV. The owner had apparently forgotten to put on the emergency brake, because it began to slowly glide down the hill, picking up speed the farther along it went.

The two agents looked round at the commotion and their eyes widened.

"The car!" one of them yelled in alarm and the two began running after it.

Morgan watched, mouth slightly ajar in fascination.

James sniffed and then got out from where they had been crouching. "Alright. Let's go."

"Incredible," Morgan said, standing and following James over to the bridge.

James felt his skin crawl as they approached the portal and he wondered how the two agents had managed to stand there all day without their skin just running off without them.

"So... we have to jump off the bridge, don't we?"

Morgan nodded. "Yes. Why? Afraid of water?"

"No. It's just that this is a new shirt," James joked and then got up on the wall of the bridge. Once he was standing, he looked down into the water. "There it is again. That urge to fall."

Morgan regarded him with interest. "Are you just going to stand there and admire the view or are you going to-"

James jumped, felt the tingling sensation increase exponentially for a moment, before disappearing under the feeling of water, enveloping him with its icy embrace. He wasn't anticipating the cold -it hadn't even occurred to him, although it should have, given that it was winter- and it nearly sucked the air out of his lungs. He heard the warbled sound of another body entering the water and felt more bubbles accompanying his own.

He was under for no more than three seconds before he felt hands grab hold of his jacket and begin to haul him up out of the water.

When his head touched air, he took in a big breath, the cold having stolen most of it away and looked up at the dim-blue sky of early morning. There wasn't any significant change that he could see other than that there wasn't a blimp in sight.

He let the hands drag him to shore and settle him down against a wall, then watched as two men did the same with Morgan, though he appeared to be helping them more than James had been able to.

For a moment he just sat, catching his breath and working to get his body temperature warm again. He took the chance to get a good look at their rescuers.

Five men in total, all of them looking very thuggish, mean and big. Two of them were bald, while the other three had military-style haircuts. All of them were muscular, the brawny kind that could pummel iron with bear fists, but only in short, intermittent bursts. They all wore dark colors and blacks.

Morgan stood, squeezed water out of the sleeves of his long coat and then shook his hair out. "Excellent! Right on schedule. How are you feeling, Doctor Smith?"

"C-cold," James replied through chattering teeth. As if his words were a cue, one of the men handed him a wool blanket, which James immediately wrapped around his shivering body, hugging the blanket close.

Morgan laughed, taking a blanket from one of the men and wrapping it around his shoulders as well. "Doctor Smith, these men are helping me find the Doctor. Don't be intimidated by their appearances. They go for the tough look to hide their gentle, teddy-bear personalities."

James laughed, started to get up and stopped when one of the men held out a hand. He took it and he was practically pulled off his feet as the man helped him to stand.

"Easy, Mr. Cambell. I doubt Doctor Smith wants to loose his arm because you were trying to be polite," Morgan said.

The man, Mr. Cambell, nodded and looked at James. "Do you need another blanket? That one is soaked through."

James shook his head. "No, this will do."

"Alright, let's get a move on, shall we? I don't want to linger here for too long. We'll do introductions on the way, eh?" Morgan said.

The five men led the way away from the bridge, walking down the street with cautious glances and then turned down into an alley where a black van was waiting.

James frowned at the sight of it. "I don't suppose you have a Mystery Machine or something?"

Morgan looked back at him with a confused expression. "What?"

The side door swung open and three of the five men hopped inside.

"Maybe something a little less intimidating," James suggested.

Morgan laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. We're trying to keep a low profile. Come along, Doctor Smith," he said, getting into the van and holding out his hand in a come-hither gesture.

James hesitated. His instincts were screaming at him to turn around and go back through the portal, but he couldn't leave if his companions were in danger. He tried to think through it logically.

"Mr. Gates, we don't have time for this," one of the men said in agitation.

"Patience. Come on, Doctor Smith. We don't have the time to spare." His hand remained outstretched.

The five men looked very nervous and impatient, continuously looking around and then down at their watches.

"What's the hurry?" James asked.

"Time is of the essence," Morgan replied. "And I doubt our arrival has gone unnoticed."

James sighed. He couldn't stall anymore. He needed to make a decision.

"Mr. Gates, the reports were confirmed," one of the men said, a finger pressed against his ear, where an earphone undoubtedly sat.

"What reports?" James asked.

"The Silence has made the Jones' family their first target," Morgan said. "We should have a few days before they make their move." He looked out of the van and shook his hand firmly. "And we really don't have time for this. Either get in, or go home. I'll do this with or without you."

James sighed resignedly and got into the van. The two other men followed in after him, one in the back and the other in the front seat. Once everyone was inside, the van began to move.

After they had been driving for a few minutes, Morgan began introducing him to the men. "Doctor Smith, this is Mr. Dickson, you've met Mr. Cambell, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Nigh."

"Hello," James said, wiggling his fingers in a wave. "No first names?"

"Can't use first names. We have two Mikes. Gets too damn confusing," Mr. Nigh (the man with the earphone) said. James noted he appeared to be the least friendly of the bunch, his face seemingly stuck in a perpetual sneer.

"So I call you Mr. Nigh?"

"I don't really care what you call me," he replied irritably.

"Manners, Nigh," Morgan said severely.

Nigh swallowed and shut his mouth.

"Alright. Um... so what's the plan now?" James asked.

"Now we get you somewhere secure and try to contact the Doctor," Morgan said.

"I could do it from here, I think," James said. He had felt something as soon as he had passed through the portal; like a little snap of psychic electricity clicking on. It had come so strong that he was almost certain he could hear the TARDIS faintly humming in his ears.

Morgan shook his head. "If the Doctor is alive, then I don't want to expose the fact for everyone to see. We'll go somewhere he will feel comfortable revealing himself."

That sounded reasonable, but the little nagging feeling at the back of his mind never left as they drove quietly, the van swaying and bumping its passengers the whole way.

"You know, you should really think about investing in seat-belts," James suggested. "Safety first and all that. Do you know what would happen if we crashed right now? Especially at these speeds. Sixty is a little fast, don't you think, Dickson? Even for the outskirts of the city-"

"How did you-" Dickson blubbered. Dickson appeared to be fairly even tempered and probably the most willing to follow orders blindly.

"He's very clever," Morgan supplied.

"-I'd be crushed by Thomas," James continued, as if no one had been talking, "Freeman and the back wall would sandwich Morgan and crush him, too. Freeman would get a nasty case of whiplash and probably break his back and right arm. Cambell would fly through the front windshield -assuming its a head-on collision- probably dislocating Nigh's shoulder. Nigh and Dickson would be best off though... because they're wearing their seat belts-"

"Would it shut you up if we traded seats?" Nigh asked through gritted teeth, turning around to give him an irritated expression. James determined that Nigh was likely one of the most influential of Morgan's group. Not because he was more intelligent than the others, but more likely because he was the only one willing to speak his mind.

"No, thanks. I'd rather not have my shoulder dislocated."

Morgan, who seemed only entertained by the conversation, goaded James to continue, "So you'd rather be crushed?"

"That's not ideal, either," James said with a little shrug. "I'd rather have Dickson's seat, but since I don't know where we're going, that's probably not going to happen."

"We could put you on the roof," Thomas said, following Nigh's lead. He was a follower.

"Probably," James said. "I'd break less bones that way."

Morgan laughed. "Remind me to get some seat belts installed."

Cambell looked at him, but didn't say anything. Cambell appeared to be Morgan's right hand man, as he was the one Morgan most often addressed. He also appeared to be the most intelligent of the group (discounting Morgan himself), quietly watching, listening, and thinking.

James tucked away the information he had gathered for later use.

* * *

><p>The whole trip was becoming more and more foreboding, despite Morgan's attempts to ease his mind. First there had been the thugs, then the black kidnapper van, and now they had come at last to an old, abandoned warehouse. Things just kept getting better and the nagging got intensely worse.<p>

They hopped out of the van one by one and headed inside, each of Morgan's "friends" or whatever they were carrying long, heavy-looking black, plastic boxes that had been stashed under the seats.

"What's in those?" James asked.

"Equipment," Morgan replied. "Come on. We'll set up and then get started."

James frowned, stuffed his hands into his still-damp pockets and followed them inside.

It was an unusual warehouse, to say the least. It was domed like aircraft hangars and was made primarily with concrete. There were four entrances on each wall, the walls themselves lined with barrels that smelled distinctly of explosives. In the center of the building were two armored vehicles. Two of the walls had ladders leading up to small alcoves, which were hidden in the amidst the shadows. The only thing that wasn't ominous were the chairs lined up near the center of the room in front of the two vehicles. Beside them stood a desk with a cellphone and a complex-looking computer.

"Nice fortress," James commented.

Morgan laughed. "This doesn't make you think of home?" he asked as he walked across the room, the spurs on his cowboy boots clinking as he walked.

"I don't have a home," James said, "So, no it doesn't. Where do you live? Must be a rough neighborhood."

"This is it," Morgan said. "Well, more or less. Home usually has the same layout, although the specific place might be a bit different."

James' frown deepened and sighed. "You're making this really difficult for me."

"Difficult?" Morgan asked.

"To believe you," James said.

"Then why do you?" Morgan asked calmly as he sat down in one of the chairs.

James shrugged. "Your devilish charm?"

Morgan smiled widely and again James was reminded of a shark. "No, really. I want to know."

"Are you saying I shouldn't trust you?"

"No, I'm not saying that. But I didn't give you much reason to. I had no proof. You had nothing to go on but my word. So why did you trust me?"

James looked down at the floor, considering the question. "I... wanted to believe you."

Morgan's brow raised in interest. "Go on."

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You were convincing. It seemed plausible. And I wanted..."

Morgan waited patiently.

"I... I wanted to be... important. Helpful. I wanted to come back."

"Interesting," Morgan mused, drumming his fingers slowly on top of the armrest of his chair. "Do you feel helpful?"

"Not really," he said, swaying on his heels, "There's a lot of doubt though. I'm getting great big heaps of that."

"I can't prove it to you, Doctor Smith, at least not until someone's died and neither of us wants that to happen."

James rubbed a hand over the side of his face and took a step closer. "See, you keep saying that and something keeps nagging at me."

Morgan sighed. "Like I said, I can't prove it to you."

"Well, you can help me believe you."

"Oh? How would I do that?"

"I want to go see Martha. Or Jack. Either one will do."

Morgan shook his head. "Doctor Smith, I'm trying very hard to keep your arrival here secret. If the Doctor's enemies find out-"

"I trust them with my life. They wouldn't tell anyone I was here."

"That's extremely-"

"I really don't care. You want my help? Fine. But before I do anything, I want to make sure that I'm not-"

A loud beeping suddenly resonated through the building and James saw the eyes of Morgan and the others go to the computer. James followed their gaze, but it gave him no clues as to what was going on. He turned back to Morgan, who was smiling again, except this one was far too pleased and it made James feel extremely uneasy.

"What's that?" he asked.

"That's my psychic-barometer," Morgan said. "It tells me the levels of psychic energies in the vicinity. It's been steadily increasing since we got here."

Realization suddenly dawned on James' face. "I did feel him when I got here. And he felt me. Which means-"

"He's looking for you. And by the looks of it, he's very nearly found you. We have about fifteen minutes before he shows up," Morgan said. "I had hoped that would be the case. Looks like I don't need you to call him after all." He stood up from the chair and locked gazes with James, who returned it as steadily and calmly as he could manage.

"You already knew he was alive. Which means you lied to me. Which means you probably lied about my friends. Which means this was a trap."

"It wasn't all lies, honestly," Morgan said. "But then the best lies are built on the truth."

James' jaw stiffened in anger. His muscles tensed further when he heard a gun click.

"Sit down, Doctor Smith," Morgan said. "The Doctor is in."


	6. Countdown

He had felt him the moment he arrived. Like a spark from two wires suddenly being connected. It had been small at first, but as he concentrated harder on the connection, it became more clear. At the first signs of it, he had dropped what he had been doing, - which had been looking for Jack's mysterious distortion- made a few phone calls, and got the TARDIS going.

"Impossible," he kept muttering to himself as he flipped switches and swiveled the glass ball on the console. "It's not possible. He can't be here. It's impossible. It's impossible!"

The connection grew stronger and stronger and for some reason, he felt fear slowly creeping into his hearts. He thought he could hear muffled voices, and felt a distinct, prodding pressure on his shoulder.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," he mumbled like a chant as he put coordinates into the TARDIS controls. The whirring and wheezing as the TARDIS parked herself filled his ears twice over, one a soft echo.

The TARDIS became silent and the Doctor glanced over at the doors hesitantly. Sighing and straightening his bow-tie, he went to the doors, paused and then opened them wide.

And found himself facing a wall. He blinked for a moment, then laughed.

"Oops," he said, realizing he had parked outside of the building he had intended to land in. Not only that, but he had put the TARDIS against the wall.

He hopped over to the controls, adjusted the settings slightly and turned it around so that he could get out.

This done, he stepped out of the TARDIS, shut the door behind him and then turned to the doors of the warehouse. He stood there for a moment and noticed that the voices he had been hearing whispering in the back of his mind had suddenly gone quiet. His presence was known, so there was no point in standing about. Nodding his head in a reassuring gesture to himself, he flung the door open and sauntered inside, thumbing his suspenders.

"Excuse me!" he called. "Hello!"

He walked into a huge bunker, filled with barrels, two armored vehicles, and seven men. Two of them were up in small alcoves at the corners of the building, holding sniper rifles with little red dots that danced over his chest. At the center of the room stood five men. One stood off to the side, gun pointed at him. Two others stood like guard dogs beside the two in the center.

Mr. Boots stood with his hand clamped tightly on the shoulder of the Meta-crisis, who was sitting on a chair looking quite miffed.

Mr. Boots held a gun loosely at his head.

The Doctor hadn't anticipated the onslaught of emotions that now flooded over him and he was fairly certain most of them weren't his own.

Anger. There was a lot of that, some of it infused with his own. There was shame, too. Confusion, resentment, bitterness... loneliness. That one hit him like a punch in the face and he very nearly staggered. His own emotions merged with those of the Meta-crisis, alarmingly overwhelming and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to continue standing.

The Meta-crisis must have picked up on it -or had been feeling it, too- because the emotions began to recede and he could see the Meta-crisis' eyes close in concentration, brows knitted together with effort as he collected his thoughts and locked them up in his mind.

Alone in his head once more, the Doctor swallowed down his own emotions, looked around the room at the armed men and took a step forward.

"You have my hand. I'd like him back."

The room was quiet, all eyes (and most of the guns) trained on him.

"Are you alright, John?" the Doctor asked, purely for Mr. Boots' benefit.

"I go by James. And I'm not allowed to-" he stopped mid-sentence when Mr. Boots pressed the gun to the side of his head forcefully.

The Doctor felt a small, but uncomfortable pressure on the side of his own head and tried not to wince.

"Quiet," Mr. Boots said.

The Doctor tried not to let himself be intimidated by the tone of Mr. Boots' voice; completely lacking in empathy. Or his eyes, which were severe and calculating.

Shark. The thought just popped unbidden into the Doctor's mind, but now that it was there, he could definitely see how Mr. Boots resembled one.

Mr. Boots suddenly glanced over at the computer sitting on the lone desk and frowned. He then returned his attention to the Doctor. "Try to talk telepathically to him again, and I will shoot him."

The Doctor gave him a puzzled look. "I didn't."

Mr. Boots looked down at James, who was doing his best to look everywhere else but at him.

Mr. Boots scowled, but again resumed his focus on the Doctor.

"Here is what is going to happen, Doctor. I'm going to give you three minutes to say whatever you like. Then I get one minute, during which time you will remain absolutely silent. Afterwards, I'm going to kill you and Doctor Smith gets to go home. Your time starts now."

The Doctor stared at him for a moment. "Wait, did it start immediately following or slightly after you said "now"? I'm a little confused. A hand gesture would've been helpful. Or perhaps you could've gotten a buzzer. No, really, when did it start? Those three mili-seconds might be crucial. I might have something really important to say and not get to say it because you started the time after you said "now"."

"Two and half minutes," Mr. Boots said patiently, staring down at the watch on his wrist.

"And why do I get two more minutes than you? That doesn't seem fair. I think we should tally it out. I get one minute and you get one minute... but there's no way I could get all my talking done in one minute, so let's say three. And why are we the only two that get to talk? This situation is very uncomfortable and I'm sure James and your... henchmen? Cronies? Gang? Never mind. But I'm sure they have something to say. So, three for me, three for you, John, him, him, her, oops, I mean him, looked like a girl in the dark-"

"Minute and a half."

"Oh, and what about the people I brought? Do they get time?"

Mr. Boot's eyes shot up from the watch and then flashed towards the Doctor. "Excuse me?"

The Doctor looked at him innocently. "Well, if we're going to be tallying out time, and your henchmen get some, and John gets some and you and I get some, then I think the people I brought along should get some as well, but they probably have a lot more to say than I do, so I think everyone should get five min-"

"What people?" Mr. Boots asked, subconsciously tightening his grip on James' shoulder, who winced slightly at the pressure.

The Doctor felt it, too, but just twisted his head a little as though he had a crick and asked, "How did you find out about James? Only my closest friends know he exists."

"Fifty seconds," Mr. Boots said, resuming his countdown, although now his amber eyes seemed to light up with a cold, angry flame.

"Do you know I looked you up?" the Doctor said, taking a step forward.

The five guns in the room all clicked as hammers were pulled back, but the Doctor wasn't in the least bit concerned about them.

"The Cowboy is a rubbish title. You don't even have a hat. But other than your silly name, do you know what I found out?"

Mr. Boots continued looking down at the watch, the gun in his hand still held steady at James' head.

"I found out who you're working for." The Doctor took another step forward, aware of the two reds dots on his chest and the five guns pointed at him, but he really wasn't interested in them at the moment. "And I know that they don't know they've hired you."

The anger in Mr. Boots' expression vanished for a brief second, revealing a moment of surprise, but he quickly recovered. "Twenty seconds."

"How do I know, you ask? Well, apparently a large sum of their money went missing along with some high-tech equipment. They couldn't trace it, but I could and found it went to you."

"Eight seconds."

"Well that just seemed rude to me," the Doctor continued, pulling a marker out of his pocket.

"Five."

"So do you know what I did?"

He popped the lid off the marker...

"One."

"I told them."

...and drew on his hand.

Mr. Boots looked up from his watch, no longer able to hide the surprise from his expression.

The Doctor looked down at his hand, smiled and then lifted it, palm out, for Mr. Boots to see.

There was a black line on it.

And Mr. Boots knew exactly what it meant. His eyes widened.

The room descended into chaos.

* * *

><p>The appearance of the Silence had startled the armed gunmen enough to get them to start firing wildly, but they weren't very good shots. Bullets hit the walls and the floor, but virtually nothing else- lucky given that the barrels were explosives.<p>

Mr. Boots looked around at the ensuing chaos, eyes bright with anger. Though he kept the gun level with James' head, he released his hold on his shoulder to hold up his hand and yell at his men to stop firing, but due to the deafeningly loud bangs from the guns going off, they couldn't hear him.

The Silence were sending out electric currents through wrinkled, long fingered hands at the gunmen, but their targets jumped aside with speedy precision, just barely getting out of the way in time.

The Doctor had immediately taken cover behind one of the barrels. It wasn't an ideal place to lie low, but he doubted they would blow themselves up to get to him, so he took his chances.

He shut his eyes and reached out to the Meta-crisis.

_John, when I tell you, run to the TARDIS._

There was no answer.

A brief moment of panic took hold of him and he peeked out from behind the barrel to see what was going on.

The Meta-crisis had somehow got his hands on Mr. Boots' gun and now they were both struggling against each other for ownership of it, knocking over chairs and bumping into the desk, making the computer totter in its place.

The Doctor's arms burned and he realized the Meta-crisis was about to lose the battle. If Mr. Boots got the gun back, he might shoot him.

The Doctor wouldn't let that happen.

Taking in a quick breath, the Doctor jumped out from behind the barrel, threw his hands up into the air and, because it had worked the last time he'd said it, yelled.

"Look at me! I'm a target!"

All eyes fell on him.

* * *

><p>James looked around as the Doctor flailed his arms in the air, shouting to get the attention of the room.<p>

It took him a second to realize the opportunity the Doctor was trying to give him, but finally it snapped in his mind, and he decided not to waste it.

He turned back to Morgan, who was watching the Doctor with a hunter-like stare. Gathering up his strength, he gave Morgan a hard shove and pushed himself away from him, spinning around so that he could start running for the door.

And suddenly he was on the floor on his back, heart pounding in his chest. He felt afraid, but couldn't identify what had frightened him so much. He lay dazed for a moment, staring up at the roof, trying to figure out where seven seconds had gone and how he had ended up on the floor.

Among the bullets he could see flying over his head, several bolts of electricity zipped past as well, but he had no idea where they were coming from. He pushed himself up off the floor, careful to watch out for any wild electric bolts or bullets and looked around.

There were several spots around the room that he just couldn't remember looking at; no matter how hard he tried to focus on them, he would lose valuable seconds. Deciding it best to ignore these spots, he identified where each gunman was. They were all shooting, but not at the Doctor, apparently.

He searched the room again and spotted Morgan, who had abandoned screaming at his men.

In fact, he had elected to ignore them. His focus was now on James.

He was about to turn and run when he felt someone grab his wrist. He whirled, ready to throw a punch, but stopped himself upon seeing the Doctor.

"Time to run," the Doctor said.

They ran, ducking and dodging bullets and blue and white flashes of light as they went.

James glanced around for enemies nearby, but only managed to lose several more seconds.

The confusion was causing him to slow down, making the Doctor practically drag him.

"Look at the ground, John!" the Doctor yelled at him.

Suddenly they were in the far corner of the room, the door mere feet away and the Doctor panting tiredly beside him, pointing his sonic screwdriver around the room.

James winced, flexing his suddenly sore fist. He had lost fifteen seconds. He looked up, trying to figure out why they had stopped running and caught sight of Morgan raising his gun at the Doctor.

His eyes widened. "Doctor!"

Too late.

Morgan fired and the bullet zipped through the air, whipped past the Doctor's ear and landed neatly in the wall behind.

James and the Doctor flinched simultaneously and the Doctor quickly grabbed James' hand again.

They only had a short ways to run. The door was on the wall they were against, but it was one of the spots that James couldn't remember looking at.

He didn't have a chance to worry about it though, because suddenly he was standing outside, looking at the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor was behind him, sonic-ing the door to the bunker closed. When he finished, he moved James aside, opened the doors, and hurried inside.

James stopped at the door, looking around in confusion.

It looked like something out of Toys R Us.

"What have you done to the TARDIS?" James asked as he stepped up the ramp to watch the Doctor go over the controls, hurtling the TARDIS into the time vortex as quickly as he could.

They both jolted and James had to grab the railing to keep from flying off his feet. The TARDIS hummed and whirred, and James grinned from ear to ear.

"Blimey, I missed that sound," he said, looking over at the Doctor.

The Doctor was looking down at the controls, flipping a few switches and turning several knobs unnecessarily.

His smile faded into a frown.

The Doctor continued to circle the console, doing his best to ignore him. After a few uncomfortable minutes of this, he realized that acknowledging James was inevitable. The Doctor hesitated before finally looking up at him. "How'd you get here?"

"I jumped."

"Your universe is sealed off."

"We both know that's not completely true. You said that for Rose's benefit. Not mine," James said, his jaw stiffening as anger boiled up inside him.

"It could still take years to open a portal. Decades if done safely which is what I'm assuming happened. I would've noticed otherwise."

"I don't know how he did it," James said defensively.

The Doctor scowled. "You should have stayed there."

"You think I planned all of this?" James asked through gritted teeth. "I came because I thought our friends were in danger!"

"I take care of them! I always take care of them!" the Doctor shouted, taking several strides forward so that he and James were face to face.

James met his gaze. "Like Rose? Like me?"

The Doctor glared at him, turned around and started working at the console again.

James watched him, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. As the Doctor made a second circuit around the TARDIS, James frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you back. As soon as I triangulate where you came through, I can take you back a few seconds after you arrived. It'll be like you never left."

The anger came rising up again. He stalked over to the controls and began flipping switches, turning faucets and pulling levers.

The Doctor stopped and looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going back," James said as his fingers flew over a few more buttons.

"Yes, you are!" the Doctor said, typing on the type writer and pulling down a lever.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

The two made circles around the controls, undoing what the other had done while yelling angrily at each other.

"Stop that!"

James looked the Doctor purposefully in the eyes and spitefully flipped another switch.

The TARDIS lurched back and forth as the two men argued and fought for control of her.

"I mean it, John!"

"It's _James!_" he snapped.

"You have to go back!" the Doctor shouted furiously.

"I can't! You'll put Rose in danger!"

The Doctor stopped, staring at James confusedly. "What do you mean? She's safe there."

James growled in frustration. "Morgan Gates crossed an entire universe to get to me! Do you get that? He left Rose. He had the opportunity to take her-"

"-but he didn't," the Doctor finished, anger disappearing beneath realization and confusion. "He didn't take her. He could've had two hostages. But no, he got you. For some reason... it had to be you."

James nodded, leaning against the railing tiredly. "If I go back, he'll probably come after me again and he might hurt Rose."

The Doctor swallowed and looked down at the floor. "No, you're right. We can't risk that." He paused, eyes unseeing as he thought. He looked up again with a look of utter bewilderment.

"Why you? I have plenty of friends. A lot of them easier to get to. Why you? What makes you special? What sets you apart from the others?"

"I'm part Time Lord," James said.

"Yes, but he didn't want anything from you, did he?"

James shook his head.

"He was just using you to get to me, but why? And how did he even know about you? Nobody else knows about you."

"I've been wondering about that myself," James said, looking down at the floor to avoid making eye contact.

"He crossed an entire universe just for a hostage? That doesn't add up," the Doctor said, scratching his head fretfully. "John-"

"James," he snapped.

The Doctor looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"I told you. My name is James. Not John."

"Oh. Right," the Doctor said, looking flustered. "Why didn't you go by John Smith? I thought that was what you would've gone with."

"That's your alias... not mine."

"Why James?"

He shrugged.

"James Smith... You kept the last name?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"You made me."

The Doctor nodded, pondering that for a moment. "In a human sense... that would make me..."

James groaned. "Oh, don't say it."

The Doctor threatened a smile, but it faded and he looked over at the console. "Look what we've done. We've upset her. She doesn't know where to go now."

"If you'd just listened to me," James said.

The Doctor scowled at him, and began putting in new coordinates.

James watched him, frowning. "Where are you going to dump me off this time?" he asked scathingly.

The Doctor turned to him, not surprised that James already knew what he was planning. It had become apparent to both of them that they had a uniquely strong psychic connection. It wasn't much of a stretch to guess that they could hear what the other was thinking.

"I'm taking you somewhere safe."

"The TARDIS is safe."

"I have a rubbishy named, ex-Time Agent, dishonorably discharged special forces hit-man after me. Being in the general vicinity of me probably isn't the safest place to be."

"Then where are you going to take me? And don't say Torchwood."

"Jack's perfectly capable of-"

"I don't want to go to Torchwood and you wouldn't either," James said.

"What about with Martha?"

"She works with UNIT," James said.

"So?"

James looked at him crisply. "So I don't like UNIT any more than I do Torchwood."

"UNIT's decent enough-"

"I don't want to go there. I won't," James said resolutely.

The Doctor frowned. "Then there's only one other place I can think of to take you..."

James watched him put in a new set of coordinates and then turn around to face him again.

"I was going to wish the Ponds a Happy New Year, anyway."


	7. Aim

**Hurray I got the next chapter up! It's a bit short, I know, but it was necessary.**

* * *

><p>Madame Kovarian was fuming. So much so that she was unable to maintain any semblance of composure. She had been made a fool of far too many times recently to be anything but outraged.<p>

The past few days had unhinged her tremendously. One minute she had been feeling confident and comfortable and then suddenly she gets a call from a man who should have been dead, telling her that she's apparently hired a hit-man to kill him.

She and two of the Silence stormed into her office where said hit-man sat in a chair in front of her desk, his legs propped up and crossed in casual boredom. He looked up as she entered and grinned at her.

"Kovarian**.** Nice to see you. I'm surprised you've kept me waiting so long, though I suppose this has been a busy day for you."

She glowered at him, crossed the room and sat down at her chair. "That's Madame Kovarian. And get your feet off of my desk," she snapped.

He obliged her with a smile.

Though he had done what she had asked, something about the way he did it angered her further.

He glanced back at the Silence and then at her again, tsking. "Bodyguards? I'd expect you'd know that I wouldn't harm my employer."

She blinked at him, so stunned that she could hardly respond. "You remember them."

"Of course I do. Look at them. A face like that is hard to forget."

"That's impossible," she stated, quite alarmed now.

He leaned forward, lacing his fingers and resting his hands on the desk.

"Not for you," he said, looking at her eye patch. He then tapped the side of his head with one finger. "You're eye patch is a bit... tacky, for my taste. I decided to go with something less... visible."

"You implanted one?"

"You think I would be so stupid as to take a job for the Silence without precautions?" he asked her, eyes glowing dangerously.

"You don't work for us," she said, bringing her shoulders up and back in a subconscious effort to look more intimidating. "I never made a contract with you."

"You didn't need to," he said. "I had Father Quentin for that. As a representative for the Silence, he had the authority to sign a contract with me."

"Quentin is no longer with the Silence. He was made a Headless Monk over a year ago. Therefore your contract is now void," she said scathingly.

She had expected that this would catch him off guard; that he would be surprised, or even angry. The last thing she had anticipated him to do at this news... was to smile.

"Is that so?"

She stared at him, flustered. What had she missed? Quentin had been beheaded. He had joined the Order of the Headless. The contract would have been nullified.

"When the Order takes a candidate and turns them into a Monk, they integrate with whatever species or group they have made an allegiance with. This can sometimes include contracts, if it interests the Church. Evidently, mine did."

Madame Kovarian could hardly believe her ears and she stared at him, outraged.

"So," he continued with a cocky smile, "Not only do I work for the Silence, but I also work for the Papal Mainframe. My contract is valid, unless both of you choose to end it."

She glared at him. "You planned this out very carefully. You went to Quentin because he was going to be a monk and you needed the Papal Mainframe's support. To trap me," she hissed venomously.

He smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Well, that wasn't the only reason. I also needed someone who the Doctor wouldn't be watching... and who better than a dead man walking? Never do anything for just one reason when you could do it for several. You get more accomplished that way."

"Well aren't you clever," she mocked.

He shrugged. "Never go into a situation unprepared."

"Like you did with the trap you set for the Doctor at the bunker?" Madame Kovarian sneered. "That was chaos. The place was covered in bullets, yet you and your men managed not to hit a single target. You took a shot at the Doctor and missed. What makes you think the Papal Mainframe will continue your contract after that disgraceful attempt to kill the Doctor?"

The hit-man regarded her calmly. "Missed?" he laughed. "I never miss. Neither do my men."

"Then why isn't the Doctor dead?"

"If I had been aiming at the Doctor, he would be."

Madame Kovarian became quiet. "What?"

"Like I said, I don't miss. I hit exactly what I was aiming at."

"You shot a wall."

"Bulls-eye," he said, making a gun with his finger and thumb and firing it past her head.

"You let the Doctor escape?"

"It was necessary," he replied evenly.

She gawked at him. "Necessary? You let the most dangerous man in the universe _go_!"

He only looked at her, that ridiculous smile plastered to his face. She wanted to slap it off.

She stood from her chair and slammed her hands on her desk. "Once the Monks hears about this-"

"They already have."

"Excuse me?" she asked, irritated at having been interrupted, which only fueled her anger more. This audacious man was making her look like a fool. She was about ready to snap his neck then and there.

"You know, I have been very patient, but I'm tired of this. I allowed myself and my team to be brought here out of respect for you as my employer, but now you're hindering my work. I've wasted too much time arguing with you, Kovarian." He started to get up.

"Who was your hostage?" Madame Kovarian asked. She needed to keep him here, at least until she could figure out how to kill him without angering the Monks.

Even the Silence weren't willing to get into a fight with them.

"None of your concern."

"I think it is," she said coldly.

"No. It isn't. Part of my contract included a request; that man, my hostage, is mine. You are not to harm him. If anyone so much as touches him without my express permission, I _will_ kill them."

She stared at him, her interest perked. "Who is he?"

His eyes met hers and she had to fight to keep her composure. Those eyes belonged to a hardened killer and she imagined there wasn't much that was keeping him from attacking her. She thought it was rather ironic that both of them were trying very hard not to murder each other.

"He is none of your concern," he said, started to leave, stopped, looked at the two Silences and then turned to her again. "May I borrow some of these?"

"Why?"

"I may need them," he said.

She was about to say no, just to spite him, but then thought better of it. She loathed him, of that there was no question, but she had more, less petty concerns on her mind. The Silence could watch him for her and perhaps even kill him if the opportunity arose. Deciding this course of action was best, she nodded.

He grinned. "Excellent. If there's nothing else, then I'll be taking my men and a few of these wrinkly bastards. I've got a Time Lord to hunt."

Giving her one last, cocky smile, he turned and left the room, the spurs of his books clinking at his every step.

It took every fiber of effort in her body not to tackle him down and bash his head in.


	8. Warm And Not So Warm Welcomes

****Sorry it took so long to upload this. I have writer's block. It sucks. Anyway. Here it is finally. Reviews and critiques are appreciated as usual. :)****

* * *

><p>There really wasn't a reason for him to be so nervous. Amy and Rory didn't know who James was and even if they did, what would the issue be? There wasn't anything to be nervous about.<p>

Somehow it didn't change the fact that he was.

He approached their front door and found himself hesitating. Though The Doctor didn't quite understand his reluctance, James appeared to. He stood quietly beside the Doctor, patient and making no move to rush him.

Finally, he raised a fist and knocked on the door.

James watched, looking suddenly tense himself.

The door opened and they both sucked in an anxious breath.

Amy Pond looked out at them, her eyes immediately landing on the Doctor and frowned.

The Doctor smiled brightly. "Hello, Amy! Happy New Year!"

"It isn't New Years. It's March, you idiot," she said, slapping his arm.

He flinched. "Ow!"

She glared at him, but the playfulness behind it was visible. She then turned her attention to James.

James smiled at her, hoping to avoid any hitting.

"Are you the Doctor's new companion, then?"

"Oh, no," James said, shaking his head. "No, I'm... I'm..."

"He's complicated. Can we come inside?" the Doctor asked as he walked past her into the house. "And how about a spot of tea? I could use a cup of tea. He could, too. We both just got back from being shot at. We're fine, obviously, except his hand hurts. I think he punched a Silence. Can't quite remember."

Amy shut the door after they had come in and walked them into the living room.

"Doctor, you're rambling," Amy said. "I only caught bits of that, but I heard that whoever this is," -she gestured at James- "punched a Silence?"

"I said I _think_ he punched a Silence," the Doctor said as he plopped himself down on the sofa in the living room.

Amy looked at James with a new found respect. She held out her hand. "Amy Pond, sort of retired companion. And you are?"

"James Smith," he said, taking her hand and shaking it with a big grin. "Not a companion. And you're ginger! The Doctor didn't say you were ginger. I like ginger. I wish I had been ginger. Wish he was ginger. He hasn't gotten to be ginger yet. I mean, really, eleven regenerations and you'd think at least one of them would have been ginger."

Amy pulled her hand away- as he had not released her during his ramble- and looked over at the Doctor with a startled expression.

The Doctor didn't notice. "Where's Rory?"

"Upstairs," Amy said.

As though the words had summoned him, Rory came down the stairs, walked into the living room, and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around the room with a dumbfounded expression, taking in each person one by one as though trying to determine whether or not they were truly there. After several long, quiet seconds, his eyes focused on the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor stood up, beaming happily, and threw his arms open. "Rory! Rory Pond! Good to see you!"

Rory smiled awkwardly as the Doctor hugged him.

"We got worried. You said you'd be back at New Years," Rory said as he disengaged from the hug.

"Oh, I'm sure its a new year somewhere in the universe," the Doctor said dismissively.

Rory smiled and then glanced over at James, growing uncomfortable when he discovered he was staring at him.

"What?"

James shook his head and grinned at him. "Oh, sorry. The Doctor told me a bit about you two on the way here. Hard to believe you've died as many times as you have. Heard you were plastic for a long while, too. Two thousand years is a hell of a long time to be alone."

Rory blinked at him in surprise, looking over at the Doctor for an explanation.

"Don't mind him. He means well, I think," the Doctor said.

Amy gave James a suspicious look and then turned to the Doctor. "Who is he?"

He hesitated, frowning.

James was silent. He could have explained it to them, but he didn't. He held no illusions that the Doctor didn't particularly like him, but that wasn't what really bothered him. It was that he was ashamed of him. And afraid. He was afraid of him and James knew why.

He had changed though, since the Doctor had dumped him off at Bad Wolf Bay. He didn't want to be like his ninth regeneration. He didn't want to be angry and vengeful, and he'd spent a good deal of time evaluating himself; deciding who he wanted to be, because there was one thing was he knew for certain... he wasn't the Doctor.

But who was he then?

"Doctor, who is he?" Amy repeated after the Doctor still had not answered her.

The Doctor sighed in resignation. "It's a bit complicated."

Rory scoffed. "Complicated is kind of a requirement when it comes to you, Doctor. I think we can follow."

He smiled. "Well, a while back, before I looked like this, I looked like him. I got shot by a Dalek and was going to regenerate, but I transferred my regenerative... oh wait... I missed a part. Hold on. Let me go back. Alright, when I first regenerated into him I got my hand cut off, but I was in the first fifteen hours of my regenerative cycle, so I grew it back. As you can see," he said, showing them his hand. "Anyway, I got shot by a Dalek and transferred my regenerative energies into my hand so that I wouldn't have to regenerate. Then Donna... have I mentioned Donna before?"

"Once," Amy said.

"Oh, good. Yes, well, Donna touched my hand and the regenerative energies in it combined with her DNA caused an instantaneous biological meta-crisis-"

"A what?" Rory blubbered.

"Well, you know how some reptiles can lose a limb and grow it back? Well, it's like that in a way... sort of..." the Doctor said, wincing. The analogy wasn't quite accurate, but he couldn't think of a better way to describe it, so he let it go. "Anyway, James here, grew out of my hand. He's my hand."

James waved at them with a smile. "Hello."

Amy squinted her eyes at James. "So... you looked like him before?"

"Right," the Doctor said.

"You looked good," Amy said appreciatively.

James' brow rose and he looked nervously over at Rory, but he didn't seem too concerned with the statement. James guessed Amy probably said things like that a lot without it holding any meaning to her and Rory had grown accustomed to it.

The Doctor frowned. "Do I not now?"

"Don't be stupid. You're adorable. Like a baby," she said, pinching his cheek.

The Doctor frowned. "A baby?"

James stifled his laughter by putting his hand over his mouth as though in thought, although he was unable to suppress all of it.

The Doctor flashed him a scowl and James cleared his throat, laughter dying away.

"So... he's the Doctor, too?" Rory asked in confusion.

"No. I'm not," James said, more forcefully than he'd meant to. "I'm part human, part Time Lord."

"But you're part him?" Rory asked, then seemed to regret it. The tension that suddenly grew between the Doctor and James was obvious enough to make both Amy and Rory subconsciously lean away, looking between the two nervously, though neither of them understood why it was happening.

"Technically, yes," James conceded. "But we're not the same person like his past regenerations are. I'm me. He's him. We're different."

"Why haven't you mentioned him before?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"Well, for one, he's very complicated. And second, he was in another universe. There really wasn't a reason to mention him."

"The universe you left Rose in?" Amy asked.

The Doctor nodded. He'd mentioned Rose briefly, as he had all of his other past companions, but had thought she wasn't listening.

"What's he doing here?" Rory asked.

James scowled at suddenly being talked about as though he wasn't there, but then again, he was the odd man out in this situation. They didn't know him and he didn't know them.

It didn't change the ever-growing feeling of not being welcome from growing in the pit of his stomach, making him feel queasy.

"That's also quite complicated. I'm not entirely sure," the Doctor said. "All I know is that there's a hit-man after me. A dangerous one. He was willing to wait who knows how long to open up a portal to another dimension and take James to draw me out."

"How'd you get away?" Rory asked.

It was a simple enough question, but both the Doctor and James looked at him, stricken with looks of pensive thought.

"What did you say?" the Doctor asked him.

"I asked how you got away..." Rory said, looking between the two, startled.

The Doctor and James looked at each other.

"He took a shot at you, Doctor..."

"... and missed," he finished.

"He shouldn't have missed."

"So why would he let us go? This man isn't just a killer; he's an expert. And he'd been planning this out for years. He would've had a contingency plan for anything I might throw at him. Yes, getting Madame Kovarian was clever, but not so clever that he couldn't react. He's a soldier. He would've adapted to it; used it to his advantage."

"So why? Why let us go?"

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and scratched at his head in thought.

"Doctor, if he let you go, he might have followed you here," Amy said.

The Doctor looked up at that. "Oh. Oh, dear..."

"You mean he might show up here?" Rory asked in alarm.

James turned and glanced out the window. "He could already be here for all we know."

"But he couldn't follow you. You've got the TARDIS. You could show up anywhere in time," Amy said. "It's not possible to follow you."

"It is if you're an ex-time agent with a vortex manipulator," the Doctor said, rising to his feet. "He's smart enough to guess where I'd go. And if he's _really_ clever, he could track the TARDIS' flight path. Oh, bad, bad, bad, very, very bad."

He began to pace the room, quickly walking back and forth between the couch and the coffee table, staring down at the floor as he tried to decide what he would do. "Jack said everyone is being protected... but how well?"

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked. "What do you mean protected?"

"Doctor, we shouldn't stay here," James said, taking another nervous glance out of the window, half expecting to see Morgan materialize in the middle of the street.

"Right. It's not safe here. Come along, Ponds! John-"

"James!" he snapped angrily.

"I know," the Doctor said curtly as he crossed the room and headed for the door.

Amy and Rory watched him with incredulous expressions.

"Doctor, we can't just-" Rory started.

"If you'd rather wait here for the hit man to show up, then be my guest," James said, then hurried out to the TARDIS. He didn't need the key. He just snapped his fingers and the doors opened for him.

Amy followed behind him, grabbing Rory's hand and pulling him along behind her. As she passed the Doctor at the door, she stopped and looked at him. "What about River?"

"Is she here?" the Doctor asked in agitation, not sure whether or not he would be happy if she was. He loved her, but every encounter with River came with a price... and only brought him closer to the moment when he would have to say goodbye.

"She was coming by to visit. I thought it was her when you came to the door," Amy said.

"I'll leave her a note," the Doctor said.

Amy nodded, satisfied, and ran to the TARDIS, where James had been waiting with the doors open, looking down the street warily. When the four of them had all piled inside, the Doctor ran to the console and released the brake. He would let the TARDIS decide where to go; she usually knew best.

The TARDIS jolted and the time rotor began to pump up and down, wheezing.

This done, the Doctor turned around and smiled at the Ponds. "This is lovely. Like old times, except with a stowaway."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked as she walked up the ramp to lean against the TARDIS console, watching as the Doctor pressed a few buttons and appeared to play pinball.

"I don't know. I thought it would be better if we just showed up somewhere. Can't follow someone who doesn't know where they're going, can you?" he said with a confident smile.

"Can the TARDIS still be tracked?" Rory asked.

"No, no, don't worry. I've camouflaged our trail. We're perfectly safe here," the Doctor assured him.

Rory didn't look comforted, but let it go. He glanced over at James, who was staring at him again. "Can I help you?"

"Sorry. Last centurion. Plastic. Two thousand years old. I can't resist things like that. Not any of that plastic left, is there?" he asked, then poked him. "Oph. Nope. Just skin. Brillaint." He grinned like a child in a toy store.

Rory frowned at him as he continued to poke him in different places. Finally, he swatted his hand away.

"Oh, sorry, am I being rude?"

"A little bit," Rory said.

"I do that sometimes."

"Yeah," Rory said, glancing up at the Doctor. "I know."

"What did he do?" James asked, following his gaze.

"Kissed my fiance and popped out of a cake at my bachelor party," Rory replied.

James winced. "Ouch."

"Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" the Doctor protested. "Not the kissing thing. That was Amy's idea... I shouldn't have said that. Forget I said anything. Are you ever going to let that go?"

"You won, Rory, remember?" Amy said with a flirtatious smile.

Rory slowly smiled. "Yeah, I did."

"Alright, that's enough chatter for now. We need to get you lot settled in again. Do you two remember where your room is?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes. Does it still have the bunk beds?" Amy asked as she started up the stairs.

"No, don't be silly... I put in a water bed," the Doctor said with a pleased grin.

"A water bed?" Rory asked, looking exasperated.

"Have you tried one before? It's fun! But don't jump on it. They pop when you do that and water gets everywhere."

Rory and Amy exchanged looks of amusement and then headed upstairs together.

When they had left, the Doctor turned to James and beckoned him with an inclination of his head. "Come on. We've got to get a room set up for you."

James quietly followed the Doctor up the stairs and down several long halls. The TARDIS gave them directions on where to go until she had directed them to the end of a hall where there stood one door. On the frame were several Gallifreyan symbols.

James' name.

The Doctor stopped at it, looking it over for a moment, as did James.

They stepped inside.

There was a lot of blue. Which was fine by James. He liked blue. The bed was a dark blue, while the headboard, dresser and other furnishings resembled the coral pillars of his previous TARDIS. In the corner of the room stood a work table with various electrical gadgets, papers and -he could hardly believe his eyes- his own sonic screwdriver. The only real similarity was the blue tip. The handle was a darker metal and had several more buttons and settings than his last one.

James crossed the room and picked it up, examining it with child-like wonder and joy. The TARDIS hummed and James smiled, touching one of the walls affectionately. She was accepting him back. Welcoming him home.

The Doctor stood at the door, looking around the room. The TARDIS had really outdone herself to fit the room to James' tastes. It had his previous incarnations taste, but it looked different. Like pears. He could swear the room smelled like pears and James didn't look in the least bit troubled by it. James apparently liked pears.

James looked over his shoulder at the Doctor, swallowed, then back at the sonic screwdriver. "I won't stay longer than I have to."

"What?"

"This room. It looks like it was made for a permanent resident."

"It does, doesn't it..." the Doctor mused. "I don't know why she would do that."

James shrugged.

The Doctor looked around awkwardly. "It's a lovely room."

James nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Doctor..."

"Hm?"

"I'm not the same person you left behind, you know."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor said.

"You don't know me," James said coldly.

"I don't?" the Doctor asked, locking gazes with the meta-crisis. "If you had a chance to do it over... would you destroy the crucible now?"

James' jaw tightened. "You wouldn't?"

"I would've found another way," the Doctor stated.

"There wasn't another way and you know it," James said. "I did what I had to."

The Doctor stared at him intensely before saying, "You haven't changed, James."

"Yes, I have. There's a difference between me then and now."

"What's that?"

"I wasn't ashamed of what I did... I am now. I wish I didn't have to do that. I wish there had been another way, but there wasn't. I would do it again, but only because I had to: not because part of me wanted to."

The Doctor was quiet.

James looked up at him and then down at the floor. "I'm tired. I'm going to call it a night."

The Doctor nodded uncomfortably. "You know where to find me if you... um... need anything."

The Doctor shut the door and left him.


	9. Strange Cravings And Mad Plans

**Whew there were a lot of characters to keep up with in this chapter! I have actually never watched Torchwood, so please forgive me for any OOCness. I watched a few episodes to kind of get an idea of the characters, so hopefully I did alright. I also apologize for the lateness of this update. I had a ton of stuff to do and when I finally got time to write, I was hit in the face with writer's block. :( **

**But enough with excuses. Here it is at last. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"So, explain it to me again?" James asked, watching as the Doctor sat on his swing, messing with the TARDIS's underside, sonic-ing wires.<p>

The Doctor sighed in exasperation. "Which part?"

"The Silence bit."

"What don't you get? They want me dead. They thought I was and then I told them I wasn't so I could save _you_."

James rolled his eyes at the passive aggressive statement. "No, not that. Why did I lose all that time?"

"Didn't I say? They use post-hypnotic suggestion."

"How is it that you can remember them?"

"I don't remember them, per say. I couldn't describe them to you, but I know they're there. I'm aware of them, more like, than actually remembering them. Plus, I have some help," he said, digging a hand into one of his pockets and pulling out a marker. "Here."

James took it. "What's this for?"

"Every time you see one of the Silence, mark yourself. Keep track of how many you've seen."

"Like you did at the hangar?"

The Doctor nodded, letting his arms drop to rest on his thighs and swinging in the swing a little, pushing himself with one foot.

James pocketed the marker, then looked towards the staircase. Amy and Rory were still asleep. James hadn't slept much, so he decided to just cut his losses and have a look around. The TARDIS had added rooms since he had last seen her. There was now a tennis court, a ball room, and a room brimming with slides. James had remained in this room for a while, just marveling at how child-like the Doctor's new persona was.

The strange thing was how much of an illusion it was. Even as the Doctor swung himself in his seat, James could see that familiar, dark light in his eyes. The same light that could be seen in his own.

The Doctor looked up at him contemplatively for a moment, then slapped his hands against his thighs and stood up. "I have something for you," he announced.

James' eyebrows rose. "Really?"

The Doctor nodded and then hopped up the staircase. He stopped before the corridor and turned to James, raising his hands in a halting gesture. "Wait here."

James obliged, taking a seat on the Doctor's swing. As is instinct when one sits in a swing, he used his foot to swing himself back and forth, looking up at the corridor for the Doctor to return.

It was a good ten minutes before the Doctor reappeared, holding a large brown wad under his arm. When he saw James watching him, he pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Ah! Don't look! You'll spoil the surprise!"

James quickly squeezed his eyes shut and listened as the Doctor hopped down the stairs and came to stand in front of him.

"Hold out your hands."

He did and immediately felt a soft lump of material fall into them. It felt intimately familiar. He opened his eyes and beheld his old trench coat. He beamed at it, standing up and letting it unfold so that he could get a good look at it. "My- I mean... your-"

"Your coat," the Doctor said, smiling. "It looks better on you."

James shrugged the coat over his shoulders and looked down at it affectionately. "I've looked everywhere for this coat, you know. Couldn't find any like it."

The Doctor smiled, fixed the collar and then wiped off imaginary dust. He stood back and looked him over. "It really does look better on you. I prefer tweed," he said, touching the elbow patches of his own coat.

James smiled. "Yeah... I really couldn't pull that off."

The Doctor laughed.

"Pull what off?" Amy asked, appearing in the corridor's entrance beside a yawning Rory.

The two pointed at each others coats.

Amy gave them a quizzical look as she came to the bottom step and sat down, Rory doing the same. "Well, if you boys are finished your fashion show, maybe one of you could tell us where we are?"

"Orbiting earth," the Doctor said. "I thought it would be safer if we didn't land anywhere just yet. I don't know enough about Mr. Boots to know what all he's capable of."

"He's in league with the Silence. I think we can assume he's willing to do just about anything," Rory said.

"Willing and capable are two different things," James corrected.

"That's all fine, but don't we need to think up a plan?" Amy asked.

The Doctor clapped his hands together and hopped up the stairs to the console. "Right you are, Amy! Right you are. Now, before we do anything, I want to know a bit more about Mr. Boots. I don't like going up against strangers."

"And how do you intend to find out about him? He's a hit-man. I doubt he has information about himself just lying around for everyone to see," Rory said.

"Nothing personal, no, but he did leave some of his more professional background lying around."

"Why would he do that?" Rory asked.

"To brag," James said, paused and pursed his lips in thought, then added, "Or deter potential enemies... or both."

"For example, we know he's ex-military special forces, he was a Time Agent now rogue, and is a successful professional hit-man. A very good resume and an effective threat. Now, normal people would hear all of that and run for the hills, but seeing as there are no hills in space and I am not a people, I'm going to do more digging; starting with his Time Agency affiliations," the Doctor declared, then spun around so that he faced the computer. "And I know just the person to ask."

James, Rory and Amy all leaned forward to take a look at the screen.

The Doctor pressed a few buttons and finally a face appeared on the screen, the expression puzzled.

"Hello?" a woman's voice said.

James and the Doctor's eyes lit up and they spoke at the same time, "Gwen!"

Gwen looked at the Doctor and then at James. "Doctor?"

James shook his head. "Not the Doctor. I just look like him," he explained as simply and quickly as he could.

"But... you look exactly like him..."

"Bit of a long story that I don't have the time to go into," the Doctor said, "I'm the Doctor. He's not. And you just look lovely, Gwen Cooper. It's a been a while." He smiled at her.

Gwen looked extremely confused, but smiled back anyway. "Yeah, it has. Was there um... a reason you're on my computer?"

"I need to talk to Jack. Is he around?"

Gwen nodded and turned around, addressing someone outside the computer screen's detection and asked them to fetch Jack.

Gwen remained at the computer, glancing between James and the Doctor, still trying to figure out who was who.

The Doctor smiled awkwardly. "How's... life?"

"Fine..." she bit her lip, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

The Doctor nodded, drummed his hands on the console awkwardly and then began looking around the screen again. "Where's that other fellow? Ianto..."

Gwen's eyes lowered with sudden grief.

"Oh. I'm sorry," the Doctor said softly.

Gwen nodded and was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "You're the Doctor?"

"That's me." He grinned at her.

"And he's not?"

James shook his head. "Nope."

"But you look like him," Gwen said.

"How observant of you."

"But how is that-"

"Oi, you look like Gwyneth, but you didn't see me badgering you with questions, did you?" James groused, his impatience growing.

"So you are the Doctor!" Gwen exclaimed.

"No! I am not the Doctor! He's the Doctor. I am not. I am James. James. Not John. Not the Doctor. James. Completely different person. Can you all wrap your thick heads around that please?"

Amy and Rory exchanged startled glances and Gwen was staring at him in stunned silence.

"Oh, don't be so sensitive," the Doctor told James. "You can't really blame everyone for getting confused."

"I'm just trying to work this out," Gwen said apologetically.

James looked at her and sighed regretfully. "Sorry. I know. That was rude of me."

Gwen smiled. "It's alright. I'm sure its confusing for you, too. I mean... I guess. Honestly, I'm still lost."

"Just go with it," the Doctor said, winking at her.

"Go with what?" Jack asked as he appeared the screen. His eyes scanned each one of them and -naturally- froze on James. "Doc?"

James smiled. "Hello, Jack. It's been a while... well about two months for me, at any rate. I don't know how long it's been for you."

"I haven't seen you since... well, never mind. Why are there two of you?" he asked.

The Doctor was about to answer, but stopped when he realized Jack was addressing James, which really shouldn't have surprised him as much as it had. Technically, James was Jack's Doctor, the one he knew and recognized. The Doctor's current persona was still new to him.

James didn't answer. He stood, waiting for the Doctor to explain, apparently unaware that Jack was talking to him.

"You don't remember Handy here? You spent quite a few months with him in a jar. I thought you'd recognize him," the Doctor said.

Jack's brow rose in surprise and he looked at James with recognition. "The Meta-crisis?"

James grinned with joyous relief. "Yes! Finally. That's me!" he exclaimed happily.

Jack smiled. "You're looking good. You been working out?" he asked with a smirk.

"Still not interested, Jack, but thanks for the compliment," James said.

Jack laughed and then leaned forward, putting his hand on the computer desk to hold himself in the position, eyes settling now upon Amy and Rory. "And these two are your new companions."

The Doctor grinned and nodded, turning around so that he could point to each of them as he introduced them. "Captain Jack Harkness, this is Amelia and Rory Pond. Amy, Rory, meet Jack."

Amy attempted to keep her jaw from dropping. "Wow. Hello. Amy."

Rory waved stiffly. "Rory. Her husband," he said, inclining his head to Amy.

Jack greeted them with a toothy smirk and nodded. "Hey. Good to see you two safe and sound. Thought we'd lost you."

Rory blinked at him and then his expression became angry and indignant. "Wait... you're who the Doctor was talking about. About people watching us. You've been keeping tabs on us."

"For your protection," Jack said. "There are more than a few baddies who'd like to exact some revenge on you."

Rory turned a little pale. "Really?"

Jack nodded and then smiled pleasantly. "So, glad to be traveling with the Doctor again?"

"Actually, we're not really supposed to be here," Rory said.

"We sort of... retired? Would you call it retired?" Amy asked Rory, who only shrugged in response. She returned her gaze to Jack. "We don't really do this anymore. Now that we're here though... I didn't know I missed it as much as I do."

Jack laughed. "I know the feeling. The TARDIS doesn't really like me, though. It's not easy being a handsome time-anomaly. And speaking of the TARDIS, it looks... different," he said, looking around with interest.

"I did some remodeling."

"It looks like a kid's play place," Jack stated dryly.

James stifled a laugh.

The Doctor frowned in confused upset, looking behind him. "What do you mean? No, it doesn't!"

"Yeah it does. It's colorful, the walls kind of look like slides, the windows look like you got them from submarines, there aren't any sharp edges... it's a playground."

The Doctor turned again, looking around with a troubled expression. After several seconds, he finally said, "Oh..."

James couldn't keep the chuckle from bubbling up from his throat. He quickly stifled it when the Doctor flashed him a hurt expression.

"Well, I think it's beautiful, Doctor," Amy said comfortingly.

"It does suit you," James said.

The Doctor's eyes scanned the TARDIS once more and then nodded. "I quite like it this way. Did you see my big window?" he asked Jack, then spun the screen around to show him.

"Yeah, that's great," Jack said sarcastically.

The Doctor nodded, that child-like expression of joy making his features brighten. He returned the screen to where it had been and looked at Jack and Gwen.

"So, what's up, Doc?"

"Right! Yes. Couple things, actually. As you can see, James is here" -James waved- "Mr. Boots abducted him from the other universe."

"Is that possible? I thought you said travel between dimensions isn't possible?"

"Rule number 1; the Doctor lies," Amy said.

The Doctor turned to her and blinked. "Who told you that?"

"Who do you think?" Amy replied evenly.

The Doctor frowned. "Oh. Right."

"Hold on, how in the hell did he get to the other universe?" Jack asked.

"It's not something just anyone could do, but it can be done with the right equipment. Mr. Boots must have had the right equipment," the Doctor explained.

"So... Rose could come back?"

"Could. Shouldn't," the Doctor said, his voice becoming quiet. A shadow seemed to pass over his features and he looked down at the glass floor of the TARDIS.

"But why-"

"She's where she needs to be. Her family is there," James answered. "It's just better that way."

"Wait, but you're here," Jack said. "What's stopping her from coming after you?"

"The portal closed," James answered. "And they don't have the kind of technology it would take to open up another one."

"Then how are you going to get back?"

"We'll work that out later," the Doctor said. "We have other things to worry about right now." He then explained everything at length, trailing off occasionally on random rambles that someone had to break him off of in order to complete the story.

Jack listened quietly and attentively, nodding, making a few comments and asking questions at different intervals. When the Doctor finished, Jack suddenly snapped his fingers as a thought struck him.

"Doc, the disturbances I showed you! The one in Cardiff. It was the portal your hit-man opened. The other ones were just a lure to get Torchwood out of the way."

The Doctor nodded. "Right! They needed to distract Torchwood so that they could get to and back from the other universe without drawing attention to themselves and to keep James hidden."

"Why'd he take him, though?" Gwen asked. She had been following along fairly well and had accepted that the Doctor was indeed the Doctor, though there were a few things that were still hazy. "If he had just wanted a hostage, he would have gone after one of those two." She gestured at Amy and Rory.

"That's been bugging us, actually," James said and then shrugged. "We don't know why he took me."

"We're working on that right now. Which is why I called," the Doctor said. "I wanted to see if you found anything else on Mr. Boots."

Jack shook his head. "Not really. I got a list of some of the hits he's behind and whoo-boy it's an extensive and impressive list. You wouldn't believe some of the hits he's done. He's good. Shot a Sontaran right in the sweet spot of his back over two thousand yards off. Oh, and apparently Hitler didn't commit suicide."

Gwen looked at Jack in disbelief.

"That was him?" Gwen stated.

"Apparently," Jack said with a shrug.

Gwen looked at the Doctor. "That's bad. You're in trouble."

The Doctor waved a hand dismissively. "I've been through worse."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, first things first," the Doctor said. "Jack, I need you to contact the Time Agency and see what kind of background information they have on Mr. Boots."

"A real name would be a nice start," James said. "We've got too many names being thrown around and its starting to get confusing."

"Right. What else?" Jack asked.

"Like I said, information about him, as much as you can get your hands on, and keep watching everyone else. I don't want Mr. Boots going after any more of my friends."

"You got it, but I doubt he'd try for anybody else," Jack said. "If he went to the trouble of opening up a portal to James' dimension, then he probably wants James for something else, too."

"That's what we were thinking," the Doctor said. "Although, honestly, I can't imagine what he could want him for. He's a pain in the-"

"Oi!" James protested.

The Doctor waved a hand at him to shush him.

"Information?" Gwen suggested.

"No, if that was all, he could just as easily get it from the Doctor," James said.

"Well, what do you have that the Doctor doesn't?" Gwen asked.

James pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "One heart."

Gwen's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"I've got two hearts," the Doctor said dismissively. "There's really nothing that James has that I don't. We're essentially the same person. Same memories and knowledge... up to a point that is."

"Well, could it be something after that point?"

"Unless Morgan wanted something from the other Torchwood, I doubt it," James said, crossing his arms. "Which, again, is unlikely, since he was walking around the other Torchwood yesterday like it was his backyard. If he had wanted something, he could have just taken it there."

Jack looked at him in disbelief. "He was just walking around Torchwood? And nobody stopped him? They've got better technology over there, don't they? Security-"

"I don't know how he did it, but he said something to Pete to make him trust him. Not completely, but enough to leave him alone. Not only that, but he seemed to know the ins and outs pretty well. He got into Pete's mansion without getting spotted by any of the guards or alarms. And trust me, that's not easy," he said. He'd tried it on multiple occasions, but Pete didn't really trust James (hence the agents following him around everywhere) and had gotten close a few times, but never actually succeeded.

It wasn't as though James was sneaking out to do something sinister. He just didn't like feeling trapped, and in Pete's universe, he had been absolutely drowned in the feeling. He was never given time to be alone, to think, to breathe and everyone seemed to regard him with a bit of suspicion... even Rose.

Which wasn't exactly her fault. The Doctor had left her with the impression that James was a ticking time-bomb ready to blow at any given minute. Rose had eventually told Jackie, just to relieve some concerns and frustration, and naturally Jackie had told Pete.

He felt pity and understanding touch the corners of his mind. The Doctor had heard and seen all of that and it hurt him.

"He's a professional. He doesn't do anything he's not fully prepared himself for," the Doctor said. "He makes sure he's a step ahead. Which is why I need all the information you can give me."

"You got it, Doc," Jack said with a wink and a smirk. "What else?"

"See if you can find where he is. I'd really like a word with him. Meanwhile, the four of us are going to go visit the Silence."

Amy, Rory and James all looked at the Doctor.

"W-what?" Rory asked. "Are you mad?"

"Maybe a little," the Doctor said with a playful smile. "I need to talk to Madame Kovarian."

The blood in Amy's face seemed to all but disappear and her eyes became hard and hateful. Rory looked much the same.

"I won't go anywhere near that woman," Amy seethed through a clenched jaw.

"You won't have to," the Doctor said. "You're going to be staying in the TARDIS with James. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

James' head snapped up at that in indignation. "What?"

"I will go see Madame Kovarian and have a nice chat with her," the Doctor continued obliviously. "See if I can get her to cancel her contract with Mr. Boots. I don't think she likes him anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"You've really lost it if you think I'm just going to sit around here and do nothing," James protested angrily.

"You're safer here," the Doctor said.

"I'm not a child," James said. "I'm a big boy. I can handle myself."

"There are going to be Silence there and there are going to be people with guns, all of whom hate me and will kill me if they see me and wouldn't hesitate to do the same to you if they saw you. More than likely, they know your face as one of my past regenerations. And wouldn't it just be handy if they could kill me before I became a major problem for them?"

"Oh, come on! They wouldn't kill me if they thought I was you and you know it. Now stop treating me like-"

"Why would you say that?"

"Say what?"

"That they wouldn't kill you."

James sighed in irritation. "It's like you said. They've been around for a very long time. If they wanted one of our past regenerations dead, then they would've killed them. They probably had plenty of chances and didn't take them."

The Doctor blinked at him as two and two were put together in his mind. "Oh... I never even thought of that."

"Meta-crisis brain in action," Jack said and looked at the Doctor. "He's got a point."

James watched him for a moment. "I can help."

The Doctor looked up at him, opened his mouth, ready to protest, to argue, but stopped himself as he saw the expression on James's face.

He had expected anger, indignation, resentment, even annoyance.

He wasn't expecting the pleading look in his eyes.

He felt James' emotions creep into his conscious again; felt the want -no, the need to help. He wanted to prove himself. He felt the hurt and pain that plagued him in knowing that the Doctor didn't trust him. But more over all of these, he felt loneliness again, but it was deeper than that. It was aloneness.

He had to blink several times to focus and banish the emotions from his mind. He hadn't been prepared for it. Not only that, but the emotions themselves troubled him.

Why would James feel alone? He had Rose. He had Pete and Jackie and a life in the other universe.

He should be happy.

The Doctor stared at him for a long time, thoughts whirling around in his head. After a good minute and a half, he cleared his throat. "If you run into anyone, you're me. If anyone suspects otherwise, you run."

James' face lit up, nodding his agreement.

The Doctor pointed a warning finger at him. "And keep contact the whole time! Stick with me. Like psychic bread and butter."

James gave a brisk nod and a lazy salute. "Why bread and butter though? I don't like that analogy."

The Doctor frowned. "Me neither. My analogies aren't coming out right today."

"Maybe..." he squinted his eyes and bobbed his head from side to side in thought. "Peanut butter and jelly?"

"No, that's rubbish... hmm... tea and jammy dodgers," the Doctor suggested.

"What about noodles and cheese?"

"No, no, I've got it! Fish and custard!"

"Fish and custard?"

"Have you had it?'

"No."

"It's delicious! You should try it. Want to get some?"

"I'd love to."

"Excellent! We'll get some fish and custard... and did you say noodles and cheese?"

James shrugged. "I suddenly got a craving."

"We should get some of that, too. And some jelly babies!" he exclaimed, eyes brightening with excitement.

The conversation was abruptly and rudely interrupted by four people's throats clearing. James and the Doctor looked up at find the others looking impatiently at them.

"We were making plans?" Jack supplied.

"Hm? Oh, right! Yes! Okay, noodles, cheese, custard, fish, talk to the Silence, get information on Mr. Boots... that was it, yes?"

"Do you need anything from us, Doctor?" Gwen asked.

"Yes. Help Jack. That's the best thing you can do for me right now. Oh, and can you look after Amy and Rory for me?"

Amy's head snapped up at that, a fiery look coming over her features. "What? No, you are not dropping us off."

"Amy-" the Doctor began.

Amy shook her head fervently. "We're going with you. You'll need our help."

Rory nodded in agreement. "We can watch your back, Doctor."

"Really, James and I should have it covered," the Doctor insisted.

"Doctor, we understand you're trying to help," Rory began slowly, "But honestly... I want to go. See, these people stole my little girl. I never got to pay them back for that."

The Doctor frowned.

James gave Rory a bewildered look. "They stole your baby?"

The Doctor sighed. "Alright. But the same rules go for the two of you," he said, pointing his finger at them and looking at them severely, like a parent might to a child.

Amy and Rory nodded in understanding.

"Doc, we'll take care of things on this end. We should have something for you by the time you've dealt with the Silence," Jack stated.

"Thank you, Jack. It was good seeing the two of you again," the Doctor said with a warm smile to both of them.

Gwen smiled. "And you."

The Doctor turned the screen off and then turned to the three people behind him. He clapped his hands together and looked at James. "Come on, James. Let's go see the Silence."

James grinned and the two of them began working the controls of the TARDIS, setting a course for the Silence headquarters.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope to start updating faster. It really depends on whether writer's block will rear its ugly head at me and how much time I have. I'm going to try really hard though to get these chapters up more quickly.<strong>

**Comments and critiques will each be rewarded with a brown paper bag of jelly babies. :)  
><strong>


	10. Lights Out

**I don't remember how long it's been since I updated, but if it's been more than a week, then I apologize. Thank you so much by the way for all the reviews, watches and faves! I appreciate them so much! Jelly-babies for everyone. :P **

**I hope this isn't too short. I'll try to start making them longer.**

**Unless you guys like the length. Just let me know :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Madame Kovarian was occupying a ridiculously secure base on Destina, a small planet just on the outskirts of Galaxy Seven. She had spared no expense and pulled out all the stops, ranging from the highest grade alarms, cameras and locks, to guard dogs and fully equipped security guards to ensure her security was impenetrable.<p>

It apparently wasn't enough, because he was sitting in her chair when she walked into her office, legs up on the desk, swiveling himself from side to side like a bored child.

She stood at the door, staring at him for a while with an unreadable expression. If she was surprised or concerned that he had showed up there, she was doing a good job of hiding it from him.

"You're the wrong Doctor," she stated.

"Hello to you, too," he greeted pleasantly, ceasing his spinning and standing up. He extended his hand to her.

He was surprised that she actually shook it, but didn't let it show on his face. He stepped away and offered her chair back to her, then sat down in the chair across from hers, crossing one leg over his knee.

_Careful. She's as mean as she looks,_ the Doctor told him.

_She looks pretty mean,_ James said.

_Exactly._

He eyed her warily, but kept up his bored demeanor.

She took her time, finishing up what she had actually gone into her office to do. She made a few short calls, looked over a few files on the holographic computer that hovered over her desk and then finally nestled more comfortably in her chair, crossing her legs and lacing her fingers, resting her hands on her bare knee.

He couldn't help but feel nervous when she finally looked at him, smiling eerily. "This isn't part of your timeline, so how is that you're here?"

James shrugged. "Future me needed a hand."

He heard the Doctor laugh in his mind at the unintentional inside-joke and it took a little effort on his part not to smile.

"There's no record of this happening in your timeline," Madame Kovarian pointed out.

"Well, there wouldn't be. Hadn't happened yet."

She arched a brow at him.

"Timey-wimey," he said, as though that should be a sufficient explanation.

She seemed to accept it for the time being. She spent a few moments staring at him through the one eye that didn't have a silly looking eye patch, probably sizing him up. "So you've seen your future self then? Wouldn't the paradox that would create destroy the universe or something alike?"

"I've done it before and the universe didn't explode."

"Wasn't that different?"

"Not really."

Madame Kovarian smiled at him. "So has your _future self_ brought you up to speed on the situation?" she asked, saying "future self" with a sneer.

_Just say yes. It's easier._

_I've got it, Doctor._

_Right. Sorry. Continue._

He nodded.

She stared at him again. "And that's why you're here."

"Obviously," he said.

"Were you not concerned that we would kill you?"

"Not really. Your Silence have been around for a while... a _long_ while. If you had wanted me dead back then, you would have done it. _Could_ have done it. Quite easily. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was important to wait until my eleventh regeneration. _Why_ is the tricky part."

"What do you suppose, then, Doctor?"

James shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "There could be a lot of reasons, but if I _had_ to guess?" he drawled, pursing his lips and looking up at the ceiling in thought, then, "I would say you needed certain events to happen before you could make a move against me."

"Very good," she said, her smile taking on yet another chilling degree of eerie. "Yes, there were certain things that needed to come to pass. Events that needed to be stopped by you in order for us to proceed. For example-"

He stopped her by raising a hand. "Oh, no need to go into details."

Her brow rose in surprise. "I thought you would be interested."

"That's very thoughtful of you, but you risk telling me something I haven't done yet, and that would be potentially paradoxal, something I'm trying very hard to avoid, for obvious reasons."

_Ooh nice touch. _

She nodded. "Of course." She smiled again at him. "You know... I quite like you. You're far more... tolerable."

_Well, how rude! I've been nothing but pleasant to her... well, most of the time... some of the time... a few times... once or twice... the first time I met her. _

_Shh!_

"I'm flattered," he said, grinning. "Charming. That's me."

She leaned forward. "That's not to say that you aren't an enemy. It was foolish of you to come here." She eyed him like a cat does a mouse. "Now tell me... where is the Doctor?"

He lifted his hands, palms up and opened his arms a bit.

"Your future self," she amended.

_Don't tell her where I am!_

_I _know_ Doctor! Will you be quiet and let me handle it?_

_I'm sorry. I'll stop talking._

"Oh, him! Not sure. Could be anywhere," he replied calmly, shrugging his shoulders in an oblivious gesture.

Her smile faltered. "Surely you don't think I believe you came alone."

"Some people don't believe in unicorns, but it doesn't mean they're not real."

"They're not," Madame Kovarian said.

"If that's what you want to believe," he replied evenly.

She frowned at him. "Just because I can't kill you doesn't mean I can't hurt you. It would be wise of you to answer my question."

"I've been called a lot of things, but wise has never been one of them. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've _ever_ been called wise," he said in surprise, searching his memories for a moment. When he couldn't come up with anything, he shrugged and looked at her. "Isn't that interesting?"

"You're starting to test my patience, Doctor" Madame Kovarian said dangerously.

"I've had people say _that _to me before," James said. "I've also been called bonkers. And a dumbo. And mad. I've been called that one several times. You know I've actually been called pretty boy before? I wouldn't call myself a pretty boy. Sexy, yes, but _pretty boy_?"

"I take it back. I don't like you," she said, her voice becoming steely. "Did you come here just to be a nuisance?"

"Not this time, no," James said, letting his elevated leg drop to the floor and leaning forward in the chair. "I actually came to talk about your hit-man."

At the mere mention of him, Madame Kovarian's face grew cold with absolute loathing and her whole body seemed to stiffen.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't fired him yet," James mused. "You obviously hate him. He's probably given you a lot of trouble and not just by humiliating you and taking a big fat chunk of your funds, but he's probably stirred up a lot of dissension among your... um... what would you call them? Would you call them minions?"

Her eyes were boring into him, cold and dangerous and it took a huge effort of will to keep from leaning back away from her. Instead, he met her gaze, not allowing any emotion into his eyes.

After what felt like ages, but was really only a few seconds, she spoke, jaw tight so that she was barely opening her mouth, "He's good at what he does. He'll get the job done."

He tilted his head. "But you don't want him to. If he succeeds, it will mar your reputation... maybe even ruin it. So why keep playing along?"

She stared at him silently.

And then it hit him. "Ooh... you're not playing along, are you? He's got you cornered, somehow. You actually _can't_ fire him, can you? You can't even kill him. He's got you stuck."

She was glaring daggers, but they weren't really directed at James. "He got the Papal Mainframe to go along with him. I can't do anything without their agreement."

"Clever," James commended.

"He was very careful in his planning," Madame Kovarian admitted.

"Apparently. What do you know about him?"

Madame Kovarian laughed and it wasn't in the least bit pleasant. It was a cackling laughter, very much like a witch.

James just stared at her, trying very hard not to grimace.

"Oh, no, Doctor. I'm not going to help you so easily. I've told you only what you need to know; that he's going to do everything he can to kill you. If you want to know anything else about him, you'll have to try and ask him yourself."

James frowned, then shrugged, standing up from his chair. "Well, I appreciate your time anyway. I'd say it was nice meeting you, but it wasn't. In fact, it was a little unpleasant. You might consider getting rid of the eye patch. It adds a creepy factor that I just can't get over," he said, adjusting his trench coat so that it sat on his shoulders more comfortably. He turned, about to leave.

"And where do you think you're going?"

He looked around at her, pointed a thumb towards the door, "I'm about to go meet up with the Doctor."

"You think I'm just going to let you leave?"

"Weeell, I was hoping."

"I'm afraid I can't have you interfering," she said.

"I'm not interfering. I'm just trying to foil your plans." He paused, pursing his lips in thought. "Oh, wait... that's interfering... Okay, you got me, I'm interfering," he conceded.

"You're not leaving here," Madame Kovarian said.

He smiled. "Yes, I am. Because I have people that need me to protect them. And not you, or the Silence, or anyone else, is going to stand in my way."

_And on that climactic note... Geronimo!_

The lights went out.

* * *

><p>The tall uniformed man walked up the hall towards the control room, swinging his arms back and forth, tilting his head up slightly so that he could see past the uniform cap that had been pulled down too far on his head.<p>

The two guards standing at their post at the door to the security room watched him, one holding out his hand to stop him from entering.

"Hello, fellow guard people," the new guard said pleasantly.

"Where do you think you're going? This area is restricted."

"Is it?" the new guard replied. "Even for us?"

"Yes."

"He must be new," the other guard told his fellow.

The guard at the door frowned. "Where are you posted?" he asked, then glanced down at the officer's uniform, frowning when he looked at his shoes. "Those boots aren't standard regulation."

"Hm? Oh, these? I thought the other ones were rubbish. Far too heavy. These are more comfortable. I run in these."

The two guards looked at him, perplexed.

"You can't pick and choose what you get to wear! And what's wrong with your hat?"

"I like it this way. It's cool this way."

"You can't see. It's covered half your face."

"Oh yes, well, I have severe case of Pseudohypoparathyroidism. It's very unsightly. I've developed boils, my skin's starting to turn green and there's something that looks distinctly like bubble wrap. Believe me, it's better if I keep my hat over it. It may be contagious... but if you insist that I take my hat off..."

The two guards exchanged looks of fear and started backing away from him as he approached. "Um... no, that's fine. Keep the hat on..."

The guard suddenly started to cough uncontrollably, speaking in between each one that caused his body to double over spasmodically, "Oh no! I think... it's going... into phase... two!"

The guards' eyes widened and they covered their mouths.

"I'd get... to the... infirmary... if I we-... were you! It's too late for... me!" guard coughed and spluttered.

They didn't need much convincing. Dropping their guns so that they hung over their shoulders by the straps, the guards ran down the hall, holding their shirts over their mouths and coughing.

Rory and Amy peeked out from a corner.

"I can't believe that worked," Rory said, stunned. "Why are they coughing? You're not actually sick. Is Pseudo-whatever-it-was even actually an illness?"

"Yes, but nothing like what I was describing," the Doctor said, grinning like a loon, flicking his hat up so that it was out of his eyes. "They're experiencing Hypochondriasis. They became sick because they thought that's what would happen. But they'll be fine. Don't worry. They'll get down to the medical bay and find out nothing's wrong with them. Which is why we need to hurry." He walked past them, sonic-ed the door and stepped inside, wringing his hands excitedly as he looked around at all the controls and computer consoles.

The room wasn't very big and most of the space was occupied by three long consoles covered in little nobs, colorfully blinking buttons and dials. Above the consoles were three huge screens, each one split into twenty sections of camera angles. There was another screen off to the right that was currently running a screen saver.

The two men sitting in the room turned around, took one look at him, and stood up abruptly. "Hey! It's you!"

"It is. Hello. I see introductions aren't needed," the Doctor said. "Shame, though. I like saying my name."

The two men at the computer consoles gave each other alarmed looks and then turned around at their computers, frantically typing something.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and aimed it at their equipment, which sparked and zapped them, making them jump out of their chairs in fright.

Rory stepped inside and aimed a gun at them (which was actually just a toy with the red tip removed, but they didn't know that). "Don't move," he said.

They nodded, complying immediately.

The Doctor clapped his hands. "Alright! Good. Amy, can you help me with these?"

While Amy and Rory tied up the two men to a pipe with some cords they found, the Doctor stepped into the control room and then sonic-ed the door closed behind them. He then plopped himself down on one of the chairs at the security desk. He popped his fingers and looked at the huge monitor above him. "Let's see if we can't take care of these cameras... oh, what am I saying? Of course I can." His fingers flew over the console for a second and then each camera flickered.

He then glanced up at one of the camera angles near the center of the screen, where he could see James and Madame Kovarian in her office, talking.

_Careful, _the Doctor told him, _she's as mean as she looks._

_She looks pretty mean._

_Exactly._

The Doctor, Amy and Rory watched the screen as Madame Kovarian appeared to ignore James completely. It was several minutes before she finally sat down.

"What are they doing?" Amy asked, eyes fixed on Madame Kovarian.

"Just talking for now," the Doctor said.

"For now?" Rory asked.

The Doctor nodded, then suddenly laughed.

Rory and Amy gave him puzzled looks.

"What's so funny?" Rory asked.

The Doctor looked at them as though he'd just noticed they were there and managed to get over his fit of giggles. "Oh, nothing. Just something James said. Inside joke."

"Are you reading lips? Because there's no sound," Rory said.

The Doctor tapped the side of his head with two fingers. "We're communicating with a telepathic link between just the two of us."

"Can you hear what she's saying?" Amy asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Just James. It's- hold on," he said, then went quiet for a minute before continuing, "It's sort of like the channels on a walkie-talkie, except... not really like that at all."

"Thank you for explaining that so well," Amy said with a roll of her eyes.

They watched the screen as the two talked back and forth and Amy and Rory would occasionally look over at the Doctor when he'd make faces as though he were in the middle of a conversation. At one point a panicked look came over the Doctor's face, but it quickly subsided.

The Doctor suddenly smiled. It made him look very much like a father. A proud one. He looked down at the dials and buttons in front of him and began letting his fingers loose among them. "And on that climactic note... Geronimo!" and with that, he put out the lights.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews and comments are SUPER appreciated! They also help me through writer's block when it rears its ugly head. :) <strong>


	11. Intruder Alert

**I am SO sorry! This was supposed to be up Saturday, but my computer crashed and I lost _everything_ I had written for this chapter! I had to start from scratch, which sucked. It's alright, though, because I think I like this version better anyway. I was just upset that I couldn't update as quickly as I had planned. **

**Real quick I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews! They've been absolutely marvelous and I'm just so flattered and surprised by them! I mean really, they've just been so awesome! **

**So anyway, here's the next update. Since I lost so much of what I wrote already, I may not get to the next chapter until next week, but I'll try to get it up sooner. Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The three watched the screens (which had switched to night vision) as James and Madame Kovarian tried to orient themselves, the latter yelling something furiously.<p>

_Alright, James, turn around,_ The Doctor said._ The door's right behind you._

James turned, took a few tentative steps forward until he found the door- which he threw open and ran out of into the dark halls- Madame Kovarian yelling at him the whole way.

_Keep going straight... aaand... turn right now!_

James turned right.

Rory suddenly leaned forward. "Great. He's lost," he said.

"No, he's not," the Doctor said. "Basement is that way."

"No, it isn't, Doctor. It's left," Amy said.

The Doctor stared at her for a minute, looked at the screens and then grimaced. "Oh. Oops."

_Um... sorry, turn around. It's left._

James skidded to a halt, spun around, glaring at where he guessed the camera was._ Doctor!_ he growled.

_I know, I know! Sorry. Won't happen again._

The Doctor directed him through the dark for a short ways, redirecting him occasionally when security guards headed his way and turning to Amy and Rory for confirmation at each intersection.

_Okay you're on your own from here. We'll meet you at the TARDIS._

_See you there._

The Doctor pressed a button and the lights came back on all at once, allowing James to run with confidence.

The Doctor jumped up out of the chair and turned to the two behind him. "I think we've overstayed our welcome. Come along, Ponds!" he said, grabbing their hands and dragging them out of the security room with him.

They came back out into the hallway and the Doctor stopped.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

The Doctor was staring down at himself, grimacing. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to run around in this uniform anymore. I need to change right quick."

"Doctor, we really need to go," Rory protested.

"But this is appalling," the Doctor groused. "I look ridiculous."

"Who cares what you look like?" Amy said in frustration. "Get over yourself and let's go."

"I'll only be a minute," the Doctor said, then grabbed onto Rory's shoulder to support himself as he grabbed the bottom of the leg of his pants. "Hold on." He wrestled them off, hopping in place until his leg was free. He freed the other, then proceeded to remove the jacket and tossed the hat away with a scowl.

"You were wearing your clothes underneath?" Amy said.

"Of course. That uniform's material was extremely uncomfortable."

"Even your jacket?" she asked teasingly, grabbing the collar of it.

He pulled away with an indignant frown. "Weren't we in a hurry?"

She nodded, then gestured with both hands down the hall. "Lead the way."

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver from the inside pocket of his jacket, aimed it at the controls in the control room to disable them, then started leading Amy and Rory down the hall.

They moved carefully, peeking around each corner they came to while Rory watched their back, his fake water pistol grasped tightly in his hands.

The Doctor made to turn a corner, but stopped abruptly, pushing the two of them back and against the wall hastily, his mouth forming shushing noises as he put his finger to his lips.

"What is it?" Rory mouthed.

"Mr. Boots," the Doctor mouthed back.

Rory and Amy's eyes widened in alarm and they pressed themselves up against the wall further, as though trying to sink all the way through it.

"What do we do, Doctor?" Amy asked silently.

Suddenly an alarm started blaring wildly, the halls flashing now with red lights of warning and a robotic female voice blandly announcing "Intruder alert" repeatedly.

"It's a little late to sound an alarm, isn't it?" Mr. Boots observed, "Everyone already knows he's here. Where are we on security feeds?"

"They've been disabled," a deep male voice reported.

"I guess we'll be looking for him the old fashioned way. Keep an eye out for him, but Doctor Smith is your first priority."

The Doctor's brow pressed together at that.

"Smith? But what about the Doc-"

"I have bigger things to worry about. You just find Doctor Smith and leave the Doctor to me."

The conversation seemed to end at that, because footsteps started moving up the hall towards them.

Amy grabbed the Doctor's arm and started tugging him back the way they came, hurrying into an alcove so as not to be seen when whoever was coming down the hall passed.

"What's he doing here?" Rory whispered.

"Quiet," Amy scolded curtly.

"Well, Kovarian is his employer," the Doctor answered.

"I said quiet!" Amy hissed.

"Touchy," the Doctor whispered.

She flashed him a warning look.

He shut his mouth and looked down at the floor.

After the footsteps faded, they stepped out of the safety of the alcove and started running down the halls again until they came to the stairs, descending them as quickly as was humanly and Time Lordly possible.

The basement was much darker and danker than the main floors and smelled of rot, the walls covered in rusted pipes that occasionally puffed out gray streams of smoke that hissed loudly. The Doctor decided these conditions were an acceptable excuse for not noticing the man standing in front of his TARDIS until he had turned the corner around a cement pillar.

The man standing there had not known the Doctor, Amy and Rory were there either and by the time the two groups spotted each other, both had started to react.

The Doctor was quicker. As the man reached for the gun at his hip, the Doctor pushed Amy and Rory backwards until the three of them were behind the pillar, getting behind it himself just as a bullet zipped through the air.

Strangely, the Doctor thought it had been aimed rather low. It wouldn't have even hit his hip. More likely his thigh. Maybe this gunman was just a bad aim? None of Mr. Boots' men had shown very good marksmanship at the bunker, but he strongly suspected that the shot had just been a show. Why, he didn't know.

"That was close," Rory huffed, trying to peek his head around the corner without letting himself actually go past the security of the pillar, which was impossible, but he tried anyway.

"No, it wasn't," the Doctor stated. "He's not trying to kill me."

"He just shot at you!" Amy said.

"Just because you're being shot at doesn't mean that they're trying to kill you. He aimed too low," he paused, then tilted his head so as to let his voice carry past the pillar, shouting, "You can't kill me, can you? That's Mr. Boots' privilege, isn't it?"

There wasn't an answer.

"Why does he get to do it? I mean, finder's keeper's, first come, first serve and all that."

"Are you really _encouraging_ him to kill us?" Amy asked, an appalled expression on her face.

He flashed her a confused expression. "Why would I do that? That would be stupid." He turned back his head again towards the gunman. "There's nothing stopping you, after all. I'm unarmed and Rory's gun is a fake, so unless you're allergic to water, then you won't have to worry about him-"

"Doctor!" Rory hissed in alarm.

"Quiet, Rory, I'm talking," the Doctor said.

"Have you completely lost it?"

"Most likely."

"This is just great. He's going to kill us," Rory said in rising dismay.

"Probably. Now, if you're done, I'm in the middle of a conversa-"

"Come out, Doctor. The Cowboy's going to catch you anyway," the man said steadily, his footsteps making soft thuds as he started moving towards them.

The Doctor listened and watched for his shadow on the wall across from him. "Sorry. I don't think I want to do that. You surrender first."

There was no answer.

"Quiet one, aren't you? I'm a talker, myself. Can't help it. I'm a rambler. I like to ramble. I ramble about nonsense half of the time, too. Like for example the temperature down here. It's really cold down here."

The shadow became visible.

"Probably because of the nitrogen," the Doctor said, then as the shadow reached where he had been waiting for it, he pointed the sonic screwdriver at one of the pipes across from him.

It hissed and a puff of white smoke burst through in a steady stream, straight at the gunman. He screamed in pain and they heard the heavy thud of his body hitting the floor.

The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at the pipe again and the smoke ceased. He then came out from behind the pillar and straight to the man on the floor, crouching down in front of him. He had luckily thrown his arm up at the last second and it had taken most of the damage. He cradled the injured arm to his chest, face contorted in pain.

The Doctor picked the gun up like it was dirty and tossed it aside, then scanned the man with the sonic screwdriver before depositing it back into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"You'll be alright," the Doctor said. "You're lucky this is the fifty-third century. They can fix that burn right up in no time."

He stood, then ushered Amy and Rory towards the TARDIS.

"Are we just leaving him?" Rory asked.

"Someone will be down to pick him up shortly," the Doctor said.

"But won't he tell people where we are?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that's all that concerning. It's when we are that would be a problem," the Doctor said, then looked back towards the way they had come. "What's taken James so long?"

* * *

><p>He wasn't lost. He had just gotten turned around somewhere.<p>

Not lost.

He looked at the three-hall intersection uncertainly, scratching his head. Which way was he supposed to go?

"Well, isn't this wizard. If every hall didn't look exactly the same," he groused to himself.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, undecided. Finally, he pointed a finger at each hall. "Eeny meeny miny moe..." on "moe" his finger pointed left, so he went left.

He wasn't even halfway down the hall when suddenly he had to duck into the alcove of a door to keep from being spotted by a small group of security guards, who ran hurriedly down the hall and right past him obliviously.

An alarm began to blare loudly overhead, red lights flashing their warning. The guards stopped abruptly, one pressing a finger to the earphone on his ear as he listened to something.

"What is it?" one of them asked.

"There's been a breech on this floor, section four."

"You've got to be kidding."

The first shook his head. "Let's move," he said, then the five guards headed back the way they came and James pressed himself against the other side of the alcove to keep out of their line of sight.

When at last they had past, he peeked out to make sure the coast was clear, then started back up the hall, moving slowly so that he wouldn't accidentally run into the guards that had run ahead.

He had the sinking feeling that he was heading in the opposite direction of the TARDIS, but wasn't sure if he should turn back.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking back and then ahead uncertainly.

"I mean, really, who designed this place?"

He looked behind him again-

-and was suddenly around the corner of the hall ahead, breathing heavily. Twenty seconds were missing.

His eyes widened in alarm and he looked down at his palm.

There was a single black mark on it.

He stared at it, then looked as a bright blue light started crawling up from the hall he had come from, intermingling with the flashes of red from the alarm that was still announcing "intruder alert" overhead. Above the noise he could hear the sharp crackle of what was undoubtedly electricity.

His breath caught in his throat and he turned to run.

He heard the crackle move towards him and he threw himself up against the wall of the hall, narrowly avoiding a steady stream of electricity shot towards him.

His movements became flashes, like he was in a room with a strobe light. He was almost at the end of the hall, then he was in the middle of the left hall and then he had somehow ended up on the floor on his stomach, his whole body aching and burning unbelievably, staring at the floor. He smelled something burning and was pretty sure he was smoking.

He started to get up, but stopped when a wave of nausea hit him like a bulldozer, threatening to empty the contents of his stomach all over the floor. His head hurt, he was dizzy and his vision was blurred.

He needed to move. He needed to move _now_, so despite his body's protests, he pressed a hand to the floor and started to push himself up, blinking his eyes repeatedly in an attempt to get them to focus.

It worked after a few times and they finally fell on a figure at the end of the hall, standing legs slightly spread, one arm held up and holding a large handgun. A female, judging by the head of huge, curly hair.

She pointed the gun down the hall and fired a single shot.

There was a twisted scream of pain and then the heavy thump of a body falling to the floor.

James just stared at the woman, blinking several times at her. His brain must have been fried pretty severely, because he knew that woman.

She smiled charmingly at him. "Hello, Sweetie."

* * *

><p><strong>And here she is! The lady of the hour. :P<strong>

**Sorry about how short this chapter is. I wanted to give you guys an update, so I thought a shorter one would be acceptable as long as the next one is soon and long. :)  
><strong>

**As always, I'd LOVE to hear what you guys have to say! :D  
><strong>


	12. Rose

**Wow that was painful. Haha. XD**

**I know, I know, it's short! I'm sorry, but this chapter has to be. Don't worry though. I'll be uploading a second chapter later this evening to make up for it. :)**

** One of you guys (can't remember who at the moment) mentioned that I should do a chap from Pete's World to show what they were doing. My initial response was... blech (Rose. Murder. I will murder her. XP) But I can't deny that whoever you are, you're right, so here it is. Thanks for suggesting this, or I wouldn't have done it myself. At least not until WAY later when I absolutely had to. XP  
><strong>

**Despite the fact that I dislike Rose, I try very hard to keep her in character and not bash on her in my writing, because that's not... professional? Ooh, not the word. I'm not professional. Bad taste. That's the word I'm looking for. **

**So yeah, here it is.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>He was gone.<p>

She had searched the house for him, but he wasn't there.

She had assumed he was already at work.

Until the Torchwood Agents swarmed the mansion, searching for him. They asked her and Jackie when last they had seen him, what he had been doing and if he had talked to anyone.

Of course, he hadn't. He really only talked to her and spent a lot of his time in his study with the TARDIS coral, talking to it, trying to figure out how to get it to grow faster. He talked to Pete some, but really only when he had to, and Jackie he didn't see very often. She was worried about him, but he wouldn't open up to her.

Pete had come by later that day, looking grim. He took Rose aside and sat her down in the sitting room, then sat down on the seat across from her, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"Dad, where's James?" she asked, eager to get answers. She didn't feel like beating around the bush. James was missing and she was going to find him.

"He's..." Pete hesitated, as though the answer pained him and her breath hitched in her throat as terrible possibilities flooded her mind. "We found a rip in our universe. A man came through. The man you met yesterday. You remember him?"

Rose nodded impatiently. "Name starte' with an M or something."

"Morgan. Well, he's missing as well," he said, then looked at her. "Well, missing isn't exactly the right word. More like left because he felt like it. He screwed up our network and got out of the building undetected. Left us scrambling around trying to get systems up again for a good hour."

Rose just shook her head at him. "What's that mean? What do you mean?"

Pete sighed. "We think he took James back through... to your universe."

Rose stared at him, hardly believing her ears. She had heard him wrong. He was wrong.

"Rose," he said, his voice as soothing as he could make it, trying to comfort her.

"He kidnapped him?" she asked softly.

"I don't know. Whoever this guy was, he was a good liar. He had information he shouldn't have had. He could've lied to James just as easily."

"He would've known," Rose stated.

"He might've. But he might not. We're not ruling anything out yet."

"Well, when are we going to go get 'im?"

"Rose-" Pete started gently.

"Don't you say I can't go, because you know better. I'm gonna get 'im," she said, resolute, her throat tightening.

"No, Rose-"

"Dad-"

"Rose, we can't go get him!" Pete expelled.

She blinked at him. "Wha'?"

Pete sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. He looked at her again, face drawn. "We can't go get him. The portal closed."

"Well, open it!"

"We can't. We don't even know how it opened in the first place. Rose... we can't get to him."

"So, wha', he's just... stranded there? With no one? All alone?" she asked, her heart sinking, tears welling up. "There's got to be a way."

"There isn't," Pete said. "Believe me, if there were, I'd do whatever it took to get him back, but there isn't. At least not on this end."

"What'dya you mean?"

"Well, James is smart, for one, and then... there's always the Doctor."

Rose stared at him.

"If a portal was opened, the Doctor has to have learned about it."

"Dad, you know the Doctor runs into half of the things he does by accident," Rose said. "Besides, I doubt he'd care."

Pete looked at her in surprise. "Why wouldn't he care?"

"You weren't there when he left us. He looked mad at 'im. Really mad. I don't think he wants anything to do with 'im. It's hard to explain exactly."

"Rose, he's the Doctor. It doesn't matter what he thinks of him. He'll help. That's just what he does. You know that," he said, looking at her with fresh concern. "You know that."

Rose looked down at the floor. She did, or used to, but after being left at Bad Wolf Bay, she wasn't sure. Maybe she was just angry at him for abandoning her. Maybe the idea of possibly losing James was making her thinking unclear. Whatever it was, the feeling wouldn't go away. She felt betrayed by him; abandoned. Like he didn't care anymore. She couldn't imagine what James felt about it.

"Rose, trust me on this," Pete said, grasping her shoulders and looking into her down-turned eyes. "The Doctor will help get him back to us. To you. In the meantime, I've got analysts working on how that portal opened. If we can figure out how to open one, ourselves, believe me, I'll be the first one through. We'll get James back."

Rose nodded, not feeling very comforted. She wanted to help, to do something, to be there with James. He hadn't been away from her since he... generated. At least not for more than a few hours. She wasn't sure what he would do. But then there were a lot of unknowns that accompanied this situation. If he left willingly, he might be alright, but if he had been forced... she didn't really want to think about it.

"Who was he? Really?"

Pete shrugged. "We don't know. He was a genius, whoever he was. Maybe even James' league of genius. There are only two people I would've bet on to take down our security systems, and that's James and the Doctor."

"What do you think he might've wanted with James?"

"I'm sorry, Rose, I don't have any answers right now. I have no idea, but when I do, you'll be the first to know. Alright?"

She licked her lips, hugged herself and nodded, feeling utterly helpless.

Pete stared at her for several seconds. "Listen, I've got to get back to work. Do you um... do you need anything?"

She shook her head.

He nodded. "Jacks will be home, so if you need... something... she'll be here," he said, then hesitantly left.

Rose sat on the couch, thinking over what all she'd just heard, wondering where James was and if he was alright.

She must have sat there for half an hour before she got up and walked over to the window, looking up into the sky, a small part of her hoping that she'd see a blue box spinning wildly through the sky. It didn't.

She shut her eyes, then looked up at the clear blue sky again. "Doctor... I don't know where you are, or when you are or if..." she stopped, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Or if... you love me still... but if you do, please keep James safe. Bring 'im back... please bring 'im back."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you guys SO much for the faves, alerts and reviews! I'm SO appreciative of them! You guys have been brilliant and I can't wait to hear your opinions, reactions, and critiques. :)<br>**


	13. Two Doctors And A Whole Lot Of Spoilers

**I'm _really_ sorry. This was supposed to be up last night, but I had things that _had_ to get done and then I had work the next day. I wasn't able to get to this until tonight and I'm really sorry. I hope that it was at least worth the wait. **

**My first chapter with River and I am super nervous. Actually, I'm super nervous about this chapter in general. I don't really know why. I just am. :/**

**Please enjoy anyway.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"What's taken James so long?"<p>

Amy peeked out of the TARDIS. "Can't you ask him on your psychic channel thingie?"

"I'm trying, but he's not answering," the Doctor said.

"Why wouldn't he answer?"

"Well, there could be a number of reasons, but it feels like I'm being blocked."

"Blocked?"

"Right."

"By what?"

"Could be James doing it... but then again, it could be a psychic dampener."

"A what?"

"It blocks psychic frequencies. Cancels them out."

"What makes you think its that?"

"A hunch, really. Mr. Boots had a psychic barometer when I met him. Didn't like that James was communicating with me telepathically. He's probably cutting our communication lines."

"Then for all we know, he could have captured James?" Rory asked.

"Right... which isn't good," the Doctor said.

"That's an understatement," Amy said. "We need to find him before Mr. Boots does... I feel ridiculous calling him Mr. Boots. Can't we call him something else?"

The Doctor hurried into the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind him and hopped up to the controls, making quick work of setting it into motion. "No, because I _refuse_ to call him the Cowboy. That's complete rubbish. Remind me to have a stern talking-to with whoever came up with that. Mr. Boots is much better."

"What about what James called him?"

"That's an alias," the Doctor said.

"And Mr. Boots isn't?"

"No. That's a title," he said as the time rotor began to pump up and down, wheezing heavily.

"Um, Doctor," Rory said confusedly, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"I don't think so, but how would I know? If I forgot them, then I wouldn't remember forgetting them. Be careful how you word things, Rory, it could get you into trouble."

Rory rolled his eyes. "What about James?"

"I don't think he's going to make it down here to us, so we'll just have to go to him."

"We don't know where he is," Rory said.

"The TARDIS can find him," the Doctor assured him. He then placed a hand affectionately on the console. "Alright, Sexy, take us to him."

* * *

><p>His head must have been scrambled. That was the only explanation he had for why Professor River Song was standing there looking perfectly calm and intimidating, an Alpha Meson blaster (where in the hell could she have gotten that from?) in her hand. Yep, his brain was fried. Wizard.<p>

He looked up at her blearily as she hurried over to him, pointing the gun down the hall even as she went to help him up.

"Are you hurt, sweetie?"

"Oh, no, I'm peachy, thank you," James answered, struggling up into a sitting position, groaning as his body and head protested the movement. "Nothing like getting electrocuted. Really rejuvenating."

She smiled at him, apparently taking his jokes as a sign that he was alright. "Can you walk?"

He nodded and let her help him up onto his feet. After taking a moment, his head cleared a bit and although his body was aching, he concluded that he wasn't injured. The Silent probably hadn't been trying to kill him.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to find you here," River said.

"I'd say the same about you, but that doesn't _quite_ describe what I'm thinking right now," James said. He hadn't seen her since the library, had worked _very_ hard to put her out of his mind, but here she was, right as rain, looking quite lovely and not sort-of-dead.

"Well, I'd love to hear _all _about what you're thinking," she said with a smirk that promised all sorts of interesting things, and although it left him feeling flustered and confused, he didn't let it show, "But first let's get you to the TARDIS."

"Fine, it's-"

"In the basement."

He blinked at her.

She looked at him and smiled. "You're starting to get predictable, dear."

"Am I?"

"Well... not completely," she said, smirking again.

He looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze any more than he had to. Looking at her made him feel vulnerable. He didn't particularly enjoy the sensation.

"Um... not to sound rude or ungrateful, but... what are you doing here?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Spoilers."

He frowned deeply at that. She really liked that word. He really didn't. He needed to know what she was doing here. He was still playing Doctor and whatever she answered might be important to maintaining the charade, at least until he got back to the real Doctor. And then there was the fact that he was incredibly confused. She was an archaeologist. She shouldn't be someplace like this... especially not with a gun.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stopping before they made a turn to carefully peek out and check the hall, gun held expertly by her ear. She was used to weapons. Too much so. It was disconcerting. When she decided the coast was clear, they started walking again.

"Oh. Um... spoilers?" he said uncertainly, hoping that answer would suffice. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that she was here and wasn't sure what he should tell her, if anything at all.

She side-glanced at him. "Spoilers? What kind of spoilers?" she asked, an excited gleam in her eyes.

"The kind that would be spoiled if I told you," James said.

"Well, we wouldn't want that," she said sweetly.

"Maybe we could do a trade? Your spoilers for mine?"

She smiled at him, and the intimate affection in it made him feel queasy. Those looks weren't meant for him. "It doesn't work like that."

"It could," he croaked, then coughed to loosen his throat.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, looking him over with concern.

"I'm fine. I just need a sip of water-" he finished his sentence suddenly crouching in the alcove of a doorway, hands over his head as though he were ducking for cover and feeling very much like he was going to heave. Post-hypnotic suggestion sickness. Brilliant. His day just kept getting better.

He reacted quicker this time than the last, almost immediately coming to the conclusion that there was a Silent around... actually two, apparently. No, three. He had three new marks on his hand.

River was apparently much faster on the uptake, as she was hauling him to his feet and down the hall, gun extended in front of her as though it were physically connected to her arm. He tried to look around and forgot three times. She must have shot them.

He groaned in irritation. "How come everybody else gets over it so quickly?"

"What's that, sweetie?" River asked as she peeked out from a corner and then stepped around it, dragging James behind her with her free hand.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort his thoughts. He was horribly confused and felt awful.

River suddenly looked down the hall, then pressed James against it just as five soldiers came marching down the corridor, guns raising as they spotted them.

River raised her gun and fired a shot that sent all of five of them ducking for cover, but didnt actually hit them, to James' great relief. She looked at him. "Open the door."

"What door?"

"The door to the basement," she said.

"There isn't-" he stopped, finding that he was pressed up against the door he had been trying to find. "Oh. Well, what do you know."

She smiled patiently, sending off shots at any sign of movement from down the hall.

James turned to the door, grabbing his brand new sonic screwdriver from his pocket and pointing it at the door handle. He held it there, it buzzing its familiar song, obliviously unaware that it was not doing what James wanted it to. "That's bad."

"We're in a bit of a bad spot, dear. Could you hurry this along?" River asked, ducking as a shot zipped past her shoulder.

"Love to, but the door's double deadlocked. I can't get it open. Maybe if I adjust the-" he threw up hands in surprise as River turned and shot the door handle clean off.

"Or you know... you could do that, too. That works fine."

She ushered him inside, firing at the soldiers behind them as she followed after James.

They came into a darker room and ran down a short hall to a second door.

River raised her gun, ready to shoot it again, but James pushed her hand down. "We'll need this to close so they can't follow us."

She nodded, then turned her back to him to watch the way they came. The sound of voices echoed down the hall, encouraging James to move as quickly as possible.

It took several seconds to get the door open. The sonic screwdriver was new and had features he hadn't gotten to experiment with yet, but it finally worked for him. The door clicked open and he and River rushed through, shutting and sonic-ing it behind them.

They then hurried down a set of spiral stairs into the lowest section of the basement and came around the corner.

A hand grabbed James' ankle.

James cried out in surprise and tugged himself away, wide eyes scanning the floor until they came upon the man laying against the wall, cradling one of his hands to his chest, face contorted in a mixed look of pain and determination.

"Are you alright?" River asked James, alert eyes focused on the man on the floor.

James nodded, stared at the man a bit more, then realized why he looked familiar. "Cambell?"

The man- Cambell- glared up at him. It was the goon who had pulled him up from the water and given him a towel. Morgan's right hand man.

"Cambell, are you hurt badly?" James asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"Doctor," River said, touching James' shoulder.

He looked up at her, stood, then followed her gaze to the TARDIS in the far corner. It was disappearing.

He would have thought the Doctor was leaving him, but not a second later, it began to reappear, slowly, until it fully materialized again in the same spot it had been before.

James and River stared in confusion.

The door opened and the Doctor popped his head out. "Don't worry, James! We've come to rescue-" he trailed off, looking around the basement with a puzzled frown. "Oh. Well, isn't that a funny coincidence. We were-" he stopped again upon seeing James' uncomfortable expression and stiff side nods at River. "Oh. Oh. River. Hello! Um... hello, yes. Good to see you... here... with... past me..."

River smirked at him. "Is it my birthday already?"

The Doctor smiled awkwardly. "Um, you two best get in here," he said, gesturing for them to come inside.

Once James and River were in the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the door and went up to the controls, working hurriedly to get the TARDIS into the time vortex again.

River took one look at Amy and Rory and smiled happily, holding her arms out invitingly.

Amy laughed and hugged her. "It's good to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Yes, what are you doing here? Didn't you get my note?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," she said, her voice smooth and silky, a seductive smile crossing over her features as she stared at the Doctor.

The Doctor walked down the ramp and up to her, so that they were only a few inches apart. "I asked you to wait at the cafe."

"That sounded boring," she stated, glanced at James, then looked back at the Doctor. "This is much more fun."

James cleared his throat loudly.

The Doctor and River looked at him.

"Yes, hello, still here. Doctor, can I have a word, please? Privately."

The Doctor nodded, looked at River one more time, then walked down into an alcove of one of the halls of the TARDIS, away from River, Amy and Rory.

James took a big breath, rubbing at one of his eyes. "What's she doing here?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. You didn't give me a chance to ask."

James looked at River, watching her talk with Amy and Rory. "How long?"

The Doctor's eyes fell. "I don't know."

"You haven't... told her our name yet, did you?"

"Yes."

James grimaced.

"We're married."

James looked at him. "You didn't..."

"I did."

"It's going to kill you, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Probably."

"Drop her off."

"What?"

"Drop her off," James repeated, more urgently.

The Doctor stared at him, brows knitted together. "You want me to run from her?"

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The longer you stay away from her, the longer she gets to live."

"I can't run from everything," the Doctor said softly, looking suddenly older. "I can't run from her."

James stared at him, frustrated. "Doctor-"

"I tried staying away, James. For a long time I ran from her. But I can't anymore."

James looked at him and saw behind his ancient eyes everything else he couldn't say. He knew he would have to send her to the library one day. He had accepted it, but he was going to spend every moment he could with her.

He loved her.

He wouldn't say it, but James could see it. It was that same look he had given Rose. That look now belonged to River Song.

James broke eye contact with him and looked over at River again. "She thinks I'm you."

"I know."

"Should we tell her?"

The Doctor shrugged, once again resuming his child-like air. "Not sure. I need to compare diaries with her first."

"Oh, you got one?" James asked.

The Doctor nodded and pulled the blue book out of his pocket, handing it to James, who took it and opened it up, scanning over the first couple of pages. "Who's Jim the Fish?"

"Long story. Funny story. I'll tell you all about it one day. Actually, I should just let him tell you. He tells it better. Now come on," the Doctor said, taking the book back and then skipping back to the small group. "Right then, River Song," he said, opening his book up. "Where are we?"

* * *

><p>The silence in the basement was broken by the steady thump of boots and of metal <em>clink clink clinking<em>, a smooth voice whistling "Ring Around the Rosie" in long, slow notes. The thumps and clinks almost sounded like they were keeping the beat for the whistling.

Cambell listened to it with dread as he sat with his back propped up against the wall of the basement, frowning at the way each sound echoed in such an ominous way.

The clinking grew closer and closer, until finally Mr. Boots came to a stop in front of him, the spurs of his boots twinkling from the little light in the room. He stared down at him, head tilted to the side with dispassionate curiosity. "Hmm. Well, that looks painful."

Cambell looked down at his arm and shrugged his shoulders.

"Shame. That wouldn't have happened if you'd done what I told you," he said, tone cold and callous, "So, Mr. Cambell, what are you going to do next time I tell you to do something?"

"Do it," Cambell said.

Mr. Boots smiled, apparently satisfied. "Good to hear. Now, let's get you some medical attention, shall we?" With that, he knelt down, grabbed Cambell under the arm and hauled him to his feet.

* * *

><p><strong>I promise next chapter will be longer. Hear that? I promised. It's a promise and I'm going to keep it. I apologize if this chapter seemed rushed or choppy. I was in a hurry to get this up tonight since I was already late on the promised update time. <strong>

**Real quick I just want to give a freaking big thank you to you guys. Your reviews have just been amazing and I can hardly believe you the praise you've given me. Thank you so much!  
><strong>

**I'm _really_ sorry. This was supposed to be up last night, but I had things that _had_ to get done and then I had work the next day. I wasn't able to get to this until tonight and I'm really sorry. I hope that it was at least worth the wait. **

**My first chapter with River and I am super nervous. Actually, I'm super nervous about this chapter in general. I don't really know why. I just am. :/**

**Please enjoy anyway.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"What's taken James so long?"<p>

Amy peeked out of the TARDIS. "Can't you ask him on your psychic channel thingie?"

"I'm trying, but he's not answering," the Doctor said.

"Why wouldn't he answer?"

"Well, there could be a number of reasons, but all but one would be wrong. It feels like I'm being blocked."

"Blocked?"

"Right."

"By what?"

"A psychic dampener."

"A what?"

"It blocks psychic frequencies. Cancels them out."

"What makes you think its that?"

"A hunch, really. Mr. Boots had a psychic barometer when I met him. Didn't like that James was communicating with me telepathically. He's cutting our communication lines."

"Then for all we know, he could have captured James?" Rory asked.

"Right... which isn't good," the Doctor said.

"That's an understatement," Amy said. "We need to find him before Mr. Boots does... I feel ridiculous calling him Mr. Boots. Can't we call him something else?"

The Doctor hurried into the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind him and hopped up to the controls, making quick work of setting it into motion. "No, because I _refuse_ to call him the Cowboy. That's complete rubbish. Remind me to have a stern talking-to with whoever came up with that. Mr. Boots is much better."

"What about what James called him?"

"That's an alias," the Doctor said.

"And Mr. Boots isn't?"

"No. That's a title," he said as the time rotor began to pump up and down, wheezing heavily.

"Um, Doctor," Rory said confusedly, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"I don't think so, but how would I know? If I forgot them, then I wouldn't remember forgetting them, now would I? Be careful how you word things, Rory, it could get you into trouble."

Rory rolled his eyes. "What about James?"

"I don't think he's going to make it down here to us, so we'll just have to go to him."

"We don't know where he is," Rory said.

"The TARDIS can find him," the Doctor assured him. He then placed a hand affectionately on the console. "Alright, Sexy, take us to him."

* * *

><p>His head must have been scrambled. That was the only explanation he had for why Professor River Song was standing there looking perfectly calm and intimidating, an Alpha Meson blaster (where in the hell could she have gotten that from?) in her hand. Yep, his brain was fried. Wizard.<p>

He looked up at her blearily as she hurried over to him, pointing the gun down the hall even as went to help him up.

"Are you hurt, sweetie?"

"Oh, no, I'm peachy, thank you," James answered, struggling up into a sitting position, groaning as his body and head protested the movement. "Nothing like getting electrocuted. Really rejuvenating."

She smiled at him, apparently taking his jokes as a sign that he was alright. "Can you walk?"

He nodded and let her help him up onto his feet. After taking a moment, his head cleared a bit and although his body was aching, he concluded that he wasn't injured. The Silent probably hadn't been trying to kill him.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to find you here," River said.

"I'd say the same about you, but that doesn't _quite_ describe what I'm thinking right now," James said. He hadn't seen her since the library, had worked _very_ hard to put her out of his mind, but here she was, right as rain, looking quite lovely and not sort-of-dead.

"Well, I'd love to hear _all _about what you're thinking," she said with a wry smile that promised all sorts of interesting things, and although it left him feeling flustered and confused, he didn't let it show, "But first let's get you to the TARDIS."

"Fine, it's-"

"In the basement."

He blinked at her.

She looked at him and smiled. "You're starting to get predictable, dear."

"Am I?"

"Well... not completely," she said, smirking.

He looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze any more than he had to. Looking at her made him feel vulnerable, something he wasn't used to.

"Um... not to sound rude or ungrateful, but... what are you doing here?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Spoilers."

He frowned deeply at that. She really liked that word. He really didn't. He needed to know what she was doing here. He was still playing Doctor and whatever she answered might be important to maintaining the charade, at least until he got back to the real Doctor. And then there was the fact that he was incredibly confused. She was an archaeologist. She shouldn't be someplace like this... especially not with a gun.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stopping before they made a turn to carefully peek out and check the hall, gun held expertly by her ear. She was used to weapons. Too much so. It was disconcerting. When she decided the coast was clear, they started walking again.

"Oh. Um... spoilers?" he said uncertainly, hoping that answer would suffice. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that she was here and wasn't sure what he should tell her, if anything at all.

She side-glanced at him. "Spoilers? What kind of spoilers?" she asked, an excited gleam in her eyes.

"The kind that would be spoiled if I told you," James said.

"Well, we wouldn't want that," she said sweetly.

"Maybe we could do a trade? Your spoilers for mine?"

She smiled at him, and the intimate affection in it made his feel queasy. Those looks weren't meant for him. "It doesn't work like that."

"It could," he croaked, then coughed to loosen his throat.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, looking him over with concern.

"I'm fine. I just need a sip of water-" he finished his sentence crouching in the alcove of a doorway, hands over his head as though he were ducking for cover and feeling very much like he was going to heave. Post-hypnotic suggestion sickness. Brilliant. His day just kept getting better.

He reacted quicker this time than the last, almost immediately coming to the conclusion that there was a Silent around... actually two, apparently. No, three. He had three new marks on his hand.

River was apparently much faster on the uptake, as she was hauling him onto his feet and down the hall, gun extended in front of her as though it were physically connected to her arm. He tried to look around and forgot three times. She must've shot them.

He groaned in irritation. "How come everybody else gets over it so quickly?"

"What's that, sweetie?" River asked as she peeked out from a corner and then stepped around it, dragging James behind her with her free hand.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort his thoughts. He was horribly confused and felt awful.

River suddenly looked down the hall then pressed James against the wall just as five soldiers came marching down the corridor, guns raising as they spotted them.

River raised her gun and fired a shot that sent all of five of them ducking for cover, but didnt actually hit them, to James' great relief. She looked at him. "Open the door."

"What door?"

"The door to the basement," she said.

"What are you-" he stopped, finding that he was pressed up against the door he had been trying to find. "Oh. Well, what do you know."

She smiled patiently, sending off shots at any sign of movement from down the hall.

James turned to the door, grabbing his brand new sonic screwdriver from his pocket and pointing it at the door handle. He held it there, it buzzing its familiar song, obliviously unaware that it was not doing what James wanted it to. "That's bad."

"We're in a bit of a bad spot, dear. Could you hurry this along?" River asked, ducking as a shot zipped past her shoulder.

"Love to, but the door's double deadlocked. I can't get it open. Maybe if I adjust the-" he threw up hands in surprise as River turned and shot the door handle clean off.

"Or you know... you could do that, too. That works fine."

She ushered him inside, firing at the soldiers behind them until following after James.

They came into a darker room and ran down a short hall to a second door.

River raised her gun, ready to shoot it again, but James pushed her gun down. "We'll need this to close so they can't follow us."

She nodded, then turned her back to him to watch the way they came. The sound of voices echoed down the hall, encouraging James to move as quickly as possible.

It took several seconds to get the door open. The sonic screwdriver was new and had features he hadn't gotten to experiment with yet, but apparently it finally worked for him. The door clicked open and he and River rushed through, shutting and sonic-ing it behind them.

They then hurried down a set of spiral stairs into the lowest section of the basement and came around the corner.

A hand grabbed James' ankle.

James cried out in surprise and tugged himself away, wide eyes scanning the floor until they came upon the man laying against the wall, cradling one of his hands to his chest, face contorted in a mixed look of pain and determination.

"Are you alright?" River asked James, alert eyes focused on the man on the floor.

James nodded, stared at the man a bit more, then realized why he looked familiar. "Cambell?"

The man- Cambell- glared up at him.

"Cambell, are you hurt badly?" James asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"Doctor," River said, touching James' shoulder.

He looked up at her, stood, then followed her gaze to the TARDIS in the far corner. It was disappearing.

He would have thought the Doctor was leaving him, but not a second later, it began to reappear, slowly, until it fully materialized again in the same spot it had been before.

James and River stared in confusion.

The door opened and the Doctor popped his head out. "Don't worry, James! We've come to get you-" he trailed off, looking around the basement with a puzzled frown. "Oh. Well, isn't that a funny coincidence. We were-" he stopped again upon seeing James' uncomfortable expression and stiff side nods at River. "Oh. Oh. River. Hello! Um... hello, yes. Good to see you... here... with... past me..."

River smirked at him. "Is it my birthday already?"

The Doctor smiled awkwardly. "Um, you two best get in here," he said, gesturing for them to come inside.

Once James and River were in the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the door and went up to the controls, working hurriedly to get the TARDIS into the time vortex again.

River took one look at Amy and Rory and smiled happily, holding her arms out invitingly. "Hello, Amy. Hello, Rory."

Amy laughed and hugged her. "It's good to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Yes, what are you doing here? Didn't you get my note?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," she said, her voice smooth and silky, a seductive smile crossing over her features as she stared at the Doctor.

The Doctor walked down the ramp and up to her, so that they were only a few inches apart. "I asked you to wait at the cafe."

"That sounded boring," she stated, glanced at James, then looked back at the Doctor. "This is much more fun."

James cleared his throat loudly.

The Doctor and River looked at him.

"Yes, hello, still here. Doctor, can I have a word, please? Privately."

The Doctor nodded, looked at River one more time, then walked down into an alcove of one of the halls of the TARDIS, away from River, Amy and Rory.

James took a big breath, rubbing at his eyes. "What's she doing here?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. You didn't give me a chance to ask."

James looked at River, watching her talk with Amy and Rory. "How long?"

The Doctor's eyes fell. "I don't know."

"You haven't... told her our name yet, did you?"

"She knows."

James grimaced.

"We're married."

James looked at him. "You didn't..."

"I did."

"It's going to kill you, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Probably."

"Drop her off."

"What?"

"Drop her off," James repeated, more urgently.

The Doctor stared at him, brows knitted together. "You want me to run from her?"

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The longer you stay away from her, the longer she gets to live."

"I can't run from everything," the Doctor said softly, looking suddenly older. "I can't run from her."

James stared at him, frustrated. "Doctor-"

"I tried staying away, James. For a long time I ran from her. But I can't anymore."

James looked at him and saw behind his ancient eyes everything else he couldn't say. He knew he'd have to send her to the library one day. He had accepted it, but he was going to spend every moment he could with her.

He loved her.

He wouldn't say it, but James could see it. It was that same look he had given Rose. That look now belonged to River Song.

James broke eye contact with him and looked over at River again. "She thinks I'm you."

"I know."

"Should we tell her?"

The Doctor shrugged, once again resuming his child-like air. "Not sure. I need to compare diaries with her first."

"Oh, you got one?" James asked.

The Doctor nodded and pulled the blue book out of his pocket, handing it to James, who took it and opened it up, scanning over the first couple of pages. "Who's Jim the Fish?"

"Long story. Funny story. I'll tell you all about it one day. Actually, I should just let him tell you. He tells it better. Now come on," the Doctor said, taking the book back and then skipping back to the small group. "Right then, River Song," he said, opening his book up. "Where are we?"

* * *

><p>The silence in the basement was broken by the steady thump of boots and of metal <em>clink clink clinking<em>, a smooth voice whistling "Ring Around the Rosie" in long, slow notes. The thumps and clinks almost sounded like they were keeping the beat for the whistling.

Cambell listened to it with dread as he sat with his back propped up against the wall of the basement, frowning at the way each sound echoed in such an ominous way.

The clinking grew closer and closer, until finally Mr. Boots came to a stop in front of him, the spurs of his boots blinking from the little light there was. He stared down at him, head tilted to the side with dispassionate curiosity. "Hmm. Well, that looks painful."

Cambell looked down at his arm and shrugged his shoulders.

"Shame. That wouldn't have happened if you'd done what I told you," he said, tone cold and callous, "So, Mr. Cambell, what are you going to do next time I tell you to do something?"

"Do it," Cambell said through clenched teeth.

Mr. Boots smiled, apparently satisfied. "Good to hear. Now, let's get you some medical attention, yeah?" With that, he knelt down, grabbed Cambell under the arm and hauled him to his feet.

* * *

><p><strong>I promise next chapter will be longer. Hear that? I promised. It's a promise and I'm going to keep it. I apologize if this chapter seemed rushed or choppy. I was in a hurry to get this up tonight since I was already late on the promised update time. <strong>

**Real quick I just want to give a freaking big thank you to you guys. Your reviews have just been amazing and I can hardly believe you the praise you've given me. Thank you so much!  
><strong>


	14. Arguments

**I apologize for disappearing for a while, but it was for the best. I needed a bit of a break and I got wrapped up in other things. But today I had several hours to kill, so I sat down and finally finished this chapter.**

**Lots of arguing this chapter, obviously, getting into the character dynamics a bit more now that River has joined the crew, and oh boy, more spoilers! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and I eagerly await your thoughts, comments and or critiques.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The Doctor and River stood with their books open, trying to get an idea of where the other was in each others timelines. It surprised him to find that they were mostly matched up. After he had disappeared, she had spent most of her time doing archeological dealings and looking for him. As far as he could gather (which really wasn't much since she loved to keep things from him) this was the first time she had seen him since his "death".<p>

This was a tremendous relief to him. He had at first been concerned that she didn't know who James was. If she had been from his future and didn't already know what was going on, he would have had to take great care not to cause any paradoxes, but she was, for the most part, exactly where he had left her, and that gave him some freedom in what he could share with her.

Having ascertained all that he could from her, he closed his book and slipped it back into the inside pocket of his jacket. Before he got the chance to say anything, River had already begun speaking.

"Well, now that we're all caught up, let's get down to what your past self is doing here," she said, looking between James and the Doctor.

James frowned, concerned as well that she didn't already know. His eyes widened in alarm when the Doctor confidently proclaimed, "Oh, that's not past me. That's my meta-crisis hand."

He could hardly believe that the Doctor had just told her that. If she didn't already know, and she was from the future, the repercussions of that could be very, very bad, but the Doctor didn't seem too concerned. He just smiled at her, waiting for the information to sink in.

It didn't take long. There was no need to explain it to her. Her smile disappeared and she suddenly looked very, very alarmed. "What?"

The Doctor continued as lightly as before, "Instantaneous biologica-"

"I know what it means, but _what_ is he doing here?" she asked, her voice sounding constricted. "He should be in the other universe."

James watched her, wondering what on earth he had done to deserve such blatant fear and wariness from her and how she had known what the Doctor was talking about. Not a lot of people knew what an instantaneous biological meta-crisis was. She appeared to not only know what it meant, but also the implications and circumstances.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story..." the Doctor said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him suddenly towards the hall James and the Doctor had just come from. "Explain it."

James, Amy and Rory watched them leave with bewildered expressions.

"What was that about?" Amy asked.

James frowned deeply and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know," he said, then looked at Amy and Rory curiously. "Do you either of you know why she has a gun?"

"She always has a gun," Rory said.

"What would she need a gun for? She's an archeologist."

Amy and Rory stared at him for a moment, glanced at each other and then looked back at him again. "She just recently became an archeologist," Amy said.

"What was she before that?"

Amy pursed her lips indecisively. "A lot of things."

"Such as?" James asked. "How much do you two know about her?"

"Some, but I don't think she tells us everything," Rory replied, his voice inexplicably solemn.

"I never told _my_ parents everything," Amy put in.

Rory shrugged in agreement.

James stared at them, wondering if he had heard that last part correctly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I never told my parents-"

"I heard that bit," James cut in, holding up a hand to stop her. "Why would that matter?"

"Don't you know?" Amy asked.

"Obviously not," James said impatiently. "Care to share?"

"Well, she's our daughter," Rory replied almost uncomfortably.

James stared at him, his brow furrowing immediately at that. "The one who got kidnapped?"

"Right," Rory said with a nod, a flash of anger crossing his usually docile features.

"Doctor River Song is your daughter?"

"Well, _we _named her Melody Pond, but she goes by River," Amy said.

"How'd you find her?" James asked.

"It's a bit of a long story," Rory said.

James looked at him, turned around and plopped himself down on one of the chairs, crossing a leg over the other and placing his hands on his knee, fingers laced. "I'm _all_ ears."

* * *

><p>The Doctor explained the situation with Mr. Boots and James as quickly as he could manage, which really wasn't very quickly on usual terms, considering the fact that he kept straying from the story to tell other stories that were only slightly connected and then go off on rants about the walls of the universes, how Mr. Boots might have opened them to get through to James' universe, and cashews. With a lot of prodding and interruptions on River's part, he finally finished his story to her, watching her face as she processed the information with a very serious expression. He wondered what was going on behind that mess of curly hair. Why did she seem concerned?<p>

"Take him back. Right now," River said, her voice firm and authoritative.

The Doctor eyes squinted as her scrutinized her. "Why? What are you so nervous about?"

She just stared at him with the same severity as before. She absolutely meant it. She wanted him gone. But why? What had alarmed her about him so? The Doctor himself had been cautious of him, yes, but not outright alarmed by him. From the look in her eyes, he could swear that she thought he was strapped with explosives. "I can't tell you," she replied at last.

He scowled at that. "Why?" he pressed.

"Because I can't," she answered.

His jaw tightened in frustration and he scratched his head, pinching his eyes shut as he thought of how to respond. She wasn't going to tell him why. That was obvious enough. She had never led him astray before, but something was holding him back from completely trusting in her. "I can't," the Doctor stated.

"Why?"

"Several reasons," the Doctor said. "But mostly because I refuse."

She gaped at that. "You refuse?"

"Yes, I refuse."

"Doctor, this is serious. He's dangerous."

His anger seemed to inexplicably flare at that and he stared her down with a look he saved only for those that opposed him. "He's staying."

"Why?"

"Spoilers," he mocked and then turned to head back up to the main area. When his back was turned to her, he winced at the unnecessary insult he had just given her. He wasn't even sure why he was being so rude to her. He had gotten defensive for some reason.

"Doctor," she said.

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"You don't know, Doctor."

He shook his head. "He's different from when I left him."

"Doctor, please listen to me. He's dangerous. More than you know and to no fault of his own... there are stories, Doctor."

He turned at that, looking at her over his shoulder. "What stories?"

She frowned. "About the right hand of the Doctor."

He looked at her for a long moment and then shook his head. "It's probably just a metaphor," he said dismissively. It was a terrible lie.

She obviously didn't buy that, but she didn't argue with him, either. "Maybe, but at least look into it. And keep an eye on him. Please."

The Doctor nodded and he gestured for her to head on up. She did and he followed behind her, wincing at the uncomfortable tension that had formed. He didn't know why he had been so unkind to her and he regretted the unsavory remark he had said, but part of him felt like he was in the right to be mad, although he couldn't explain it.

When they joined Amy, Rory and James, Rory had apparently finished telling James about River. The Doctor froze at that... Rory had just told him _all_ about River.

And James now held the same expression that River had not moments ago. His eyes were wide, his brow raised, and he looked absolutely stunned and a little horrified. His head turned to the Doctor, mouth opening and closing as he tried to form the word "What?".

The Doctor sighed. "This isn't one of my best days," he said in dismay.

"You _made_ a Time Lord?" James huffed.

River looked at Amy and Rory. "You told him?"

"He asked!" Amy said defensively.

"Were we not supposed to?" Rory asked.

"Not really," the Doctor said, then returned his attention to James. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"It _is_ that big a deal!" James said, standing. "It's a _very_ big deal. It's a monumental deal. You can't just- just- _make_ Time Lords willy-nilly!" His hands were busy flying around his head, proclaiming his outrage.

"I didn't _plan _it out! How was I supposed to know they were getting busy mid-flight?" the Doctor protested indignantly, pointing at the Ponds.

Rory cringed. "Can we not talk about our bedroom life, please?"

James looked at him like he was ready to pounce on him, too, but the Doctor held up his hands in a calming gesture.

"It wasn't intentional, no harm has come of it," he said reassuringly.

James' eyes darkened. "Not yet."

The Doctor almost cringed at that. All of this, most prominently where River Song had been conceived, was leading up to her death, which the Doctor felt creeping closer and closer every day. If she hadn't been a Time Lord, she might have gotten to live a little longer.

James must have felt it, because he glanced between the Doctor and River for a moment, then his face seemed to drain of anger. His eyes fell to the floor and he looked away.

Amy looked around at the now very sullen group and scowled at each of them. "Alright, I don't know what's going here, but I'm putting an end to it. Right now. No more arguing. I think we all need a bit of a rest."

Rory nodded in eager agreement, ready to jump at any excuse to get away from the tension of the Time Lord and his two half counterparts.

The Doctor nodded as well. "Amy's right. We should all get some rest. It's been a long day and we've got even more to do tomorrow."

Everyone seemed to agree. Amy and Rory were the first to head up the stairs and River followed behind them, sharing a little bit of what she had been up to as they headed down the hall.

James stayed behind, waiting for them to leave before he looked at the Doctor, who had retired to the swing below the top glass level of the TARDIS' control room. James walked down to him and sat down on the floor Indian-style. He stared at his hands as he wrung them for a few minutes, before at last taking a big breath and looking up at the Doctor. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor stopped the tinkering he had been doing to look at him in confusion. "For what?"

"I know what she was talking to you about and I know you defended me and I repay that by getting angry at you for something that wasn't even your fault. It wasn't my business and... and I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

The Doctor blinked at him, baffled. He had never been good at apologies that involved admitting he was wrong. In fact, he was terrible at it and here James was, saying it humbly and sincerely. For a long while he just stared at him, trying to decide how to respond. People didn't really apologize to _him_ either, mostly because he was rarely wrong, so he wasn't sure what to say. Should he agree? Should he apologize for... something?

The best he came up with was to nod, which seemed to satisfy James, because he nodded back and then glanced up at what the Doctor was doing.

"You should meld that green wire with the shield circuit," he said. "It would give shielding an extra ten percent."

"No, that would fry it," the Doctor said.

"No, it wouldn't. Not if you did this," he said, standing and proceeding to twiddle with a few wires and circuits.

The Doctor watched him for a minute skeptically, but then his brow rose in surprise as it clicked what James was doing. He gawked as James pulled away from his work, which had been more than successful. It had increased it eleven percent.

"That was brilliant," the Doctor admonished.

James shrugged. "It's funny, really, what I never thought of as a full Time Lord, but what's so obvious to me now."

The Doctor nodded, squinted his eyes and then said, "You know, if we sacrificed two percent of the shielding to to flight module, we could even out her flight and landing a bit."

James looked at him curiously. "How would we do that? Wouldn't that overload it?"

"Not if we do it right. Here, look at this," the Doctor said, then reached up and pulled some wires out for James to see.

Neither of them ended up going to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know much about science-y phrases and words and terms and all that jazz, so I was forced to make that bit up as I went, which was a bit upsetting, but the only thing I could think to do. Plus, there's no telling how the TARDIS really works and what all makes it run and stuff. As far as I'm aware, we don't have TARDIS mechanics that I can consult for the information needed. So, sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed it despite that bit ;)<strong>


	15. Back To The Start

**I am so sorry it took me so long to post this. My computer committed suicide and took half of my work with it, so I had to start all over. It was supposed to be up last week, and then I got sick and had tons of stuff to do and blech! It was a mess. Anyway, I want to update every Monday if I'm able. I'll try not to leave you guys hanging like that again. I super apologize. Also, for anyone who reviewed or messaged me, I apologize if I didn't answer. I can't remember who all I answered. Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>River didn't sleep very long, if she slept at all. She came down the stairs into the main room to find James and the Doctor down below, glued to whatever tinkering they were doing to the TARDIS's underbelly. Wires zapped and sonic screwdriver buzzed as they discussed different ways to increase efficiency. From a distance it sounded as though they were arguing, but as she got closer, she could confirm that it wasn't as much arguing as it was having a heated, companionable exchange.<p>

"That's not going to work," James insisted.

"Of course it will. Just watch," the Doctor replied confidently. "Just need to tweak this... and this... and-" he and James jumped back as a spark jumped out from where he had been working. They stared at it, looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Apparently the damage hadn't been enough to bother either of them.

They both looked up as River came down the stairs, stopping on one of the last few steps and leaning over the railing to look at what they were doing. "It's upside down. Turn it the other way."

James and the Doctor looked at each other, then at the tangle of wires.

"I'll try, but I don't think its going to work," the Doctor said, then fussed with a few cords. The TARDIS whirred and hummed in apparent approval. The Doctor beamed. "Good. I was beginning to worry that the brakes were broken. I figured it out!"

"Maybe if you didn't keep them on in flight they wouldn't break all the time," River said, ignoring his last statement.

The Doctor frowned at her. "But I like the whaarraaaghhhaa sound."

James laughed. "That was a horrible impression."

"Oh, and you can do better?"

James shrugged, cleared his throat and proceeded to make wheezing, whirring sounds as close to what the sounds of the TARDIS as he could manage.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, it's more wheezy," he said, demonstrating.

"Your pitch is too low. You sound like a velociraptor with a cold," James said.

They both wheezed and whirred as they tried to mimic the sound and River just watched with an amused expression.

"You can stop that now," she said with playful annoyance.

They stopped.

The Doctor stood up from the swing, "Did you sleep any?"

River shrugged. "Enough. Looks like neither of you got a wink."

"We were busy."

"So I see," she said, then glanced at James. "He looks tired."

James expression became flat with irritation. He didn't appreciate being talked about as though he couldn't hear. She either didn't like him or didn't trust him, maybe both, and although he knew why, it didn't change the fact that it hurt him a bit more than he thought it would.

"He's only half Time Lord. He should sleep," River said.

"I'm right here, thank you," James groused indignantly.

River regarded him guardedly, looking him over as though he were about to go rabid. "So what do I call you? Meta-crisis?"

"I don't call you Human-Time Lord hybrid, so... no. Don't call me that. I have a name," James said.

"John Smith, then?"

"James."

River gave him a puzzled look. "James?"

"Yep," he said, letting the P pop.

"Why James?"

"I didn't want to be called John."

"Why?"

"Because that's the Doctor's alias. Not mine. I wanted my own name."

She nodded, looking interested. It looked like she had another question she wanted to ask, but she didn't.

Before an awkward silence had the opportunity to settle in, the phone on the console rang. The Doctor jumped up from the swing a little too abruptly and it bobbed back and forth unsteadily as the Doctor began running up the stairs, proclaiming, "I'll get it!"

He made short work of rushing up the stairs and snatching the phone from its cradle. "Hello?" He listened as whoever was on the other end answered. and then smiled happily. "Jack! Good. Hold on. Let me get you on the screen here," he said, flipping a switch. The screen came to life and viewed the interior of Torchwood 3. Jack appeared shortly, hanging up a cell phone and sitting down in front of it.

"Hey, everybody," he said pleasantly, then saw River. "Ooh, whose your new lady friend?"

"River Song. And don't," the Doctor warned.

"I didn't do anything."

"You would've," the Doctor said, then before he could defend himself asked, "How's the search going?"

Jack grinned. "I've got a name."

The Doctor's brow rose in surprise. "You do?"

He nodded. "Yep. His official records were mysteriously destroyed, but I talked to the Director of the Time Agency and he remembered his name. Grant Segoma."

"That's another alias," River stated.

Jack's face fell. "What do you mean?"

"It's an anagram of Morgan Gates."

Jack stared at her for a minute, then looked up and to the right as he thought about it, then frowned. "Oh. Well, crap."

The Doctor waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. I didn't expect to get a name. What else did you find out?"

"Well, I looked up the name Morgan Gates, just to see. Asked some of my shady connections if the name was familiar. I didn't think I would find anything, but something actually came up. He buys guns and ammunition from a guy in Vahptilliorbus. You know where I'm talking about, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "The Cryo Galaxy."

"Right. Well, he's been buying from the same gun dealer for several years. People around there know him by different names, but they all know his face. You could start looking there."

"Great! We'll have a looky-loo. See what we find," the Doctor said. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. It's a criminal hub, so you'll need to be careful."

"I'm always careful. Careful's my middle name," the Doctor said with a reassuring smile.

Jack's lips lifted in an amused smirk. "You want any help?"

"We're all set for now. If I need you, I'll let you know, though. Thank you, Jack."

Jack nodded. "Sure, Doc."

The Doctor switched off the screen and then turned to James and River. "Well, we now have our destination."

River smiled. "Sounds like fun," she said with a mischievous grin.

James smiled, clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly, then went to the console and positioned himself slightly opposite to the Doctor.

River, never missing a beat, took a position to the left of James so that each of them were evenly spaced apart from each other around the console.

The Doctor beamed and threw several switches. The TARDIS lurched and the three of them grabbed hold of the console. River got to work on her section of the console, turning knobs and pressing buttons quickly while James and the Doctor did the same on either side of her.

The lurch was likely the thing that woke Amy and Rory from their slumber, because they carefully made their way down the stairs, holding onto the railing in case the TARDIS should lurch again.

"Good morning, sleepyheads," James said when he saw them, grinning happily at them as he worked his area of the console.

"You just missed the phone call with Jack," the Doctor said.

"Did he have anything interesting to say?" Amy asked, sitting down on one of the steps while keeping a firm grip on the railing. Rory stood on the step above her, holding the railing as well and looking very scruffy, his hair all in a floppy mess. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Yes, actually. We're going to go find Mr. Boots' gun dealer," the Doctor stated.

"That sounds like a horrible idea," Rory said, stifling his yawn and looking at the Doctor like he was insane (he often gave him this look).

"What's so horrible about asking a heavily armed dealer questions about his most loyal client?" the Doctor asked.

"Do you even listen to yourself speak?" Rory asked.

"Don't worry, Rory. We've dealt with a lot worse," River said.

"That's not all that reassuring."

"It's really not as bad as it sounds," James said. "The dealer probably won't mind giving us some basic information, as long as we make it worth his while."

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"I just want to know where he is so we can talk," the Doctor said.

"You're just going to sit down and talk with the man who's trying to kill you?" Amy asked incredulously.

"I'll bring tea as incentive," the Doctor teased. "He won't be able to resist. Who could? Tea is delicious. So are crepes. And Jell-O. Do you know how it's made? It's really quite interesting. They take bones and intestines from-"

"You're losing focus, sweetie," River said gently.

"Right. Anyway, should be fairly simple."

"Sure, it sounds simple, but with you, Doctor... it never is," Rory grumbled.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence. Now, who would like to see Vahptilliorbus?" he asked as he hopped down to the front door.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Have a look," he said, opening the door.

Rory looked at Amy, who didn't seem as concerned as he was. He waited for confirmation from her that it was alright and followed her outside. River, James and the Doctor followed them out.

The TARDIS had parked behind an old decrepit building, neatly hidden away from prying eyes in the tight alley. The Doctor led the five of them out of the alley and into what appeared to be a small town with buildings scattered here and there. Whoever made the layout for the town had done a poor job.

They had come out to what looked like the town square, where most of the traffic bustled through, glaring at each other warily and talking to each other in dark corners, voices hushed into barely audible whispers.

The Doctor looked around for a moment. "Hmm... now where would you go to find a gun dealer?"

"The pub," River said.

James looked at her.

She looked back at him innocently. "What?"

"How do you-"

"Right! Pub. Where's the pub?" the Doctor interrupted, looking up and down the street.

James gave River one last suspicious look and then looked down the street.

"That way," he and the Doctor said at once, both of them marching off in opposite directions.

Amy, Rory and River remained where they were, unsure which one they should follow.

Sensing that they weren't being followed, the two of them turned around and reconnoitered back with the rest of the group.

"Um... has anyone seen the pub?" the Doctor asked.

"It's over there, sweetie," River said, pointing at the building across the street.

"Oh, right. Well, let's see about finding that dealer, then, shall we?" the Doctor said, then lead the five of them across the street.

* * *

><p><strong>I also apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it had been so long since I've updated I wanted to put something up for you guys. So here it is. As I said, I'll try to post every Monday. <strong>


	16. Unusual Poker Game

**As promised, a Monday update! I hope it's satisfactory and that you all enjoy it and comment! This was actually a tough chapter. I think I've got mono, so I'm SUPER sleepy and have been having a hard time staying awake long enough to write, but I was determined and inspired and finally got it done. It was also difficult with all the different characters flying around. Hopefully it wasn't difficult to follow. Also, for those true Doctor Who fans, there is a special guest appearance in this chapter. If you know it, you're awesome. :)**

* * *

><p>It was like walking in on a party you weren't invited to. Every set of eyes flitted up to the doorway where the five companions stood, staring them down with suspicious glares.<p>

The Doctor looked around, fiddled his fingers and descended the three steps into the pub. Wary, suspicious eyes watched them until they settled themselves at the bar, at which point only those at the bar continue to stare.

The Doctor took the center seat with Amy and Rory on one side of him and River and James sitting on the other, both looking rather uncomfortable at being in such close proximity to one another.

"Alright, we're in the pub. What now?" Amy asked, looking across Rory at the Time Lord.

"Well, we need to find the gun dealer."

"Yeah, we know... how?" Rory pressed.

"Ask the bartender," the Doctor replied, then knocked on the bar. "Bartender!"

Rory stared at him like he was insane, then looked away, trying to disassociate himself from him in case he should draw unwanted attention.

The bartender frowned, but went over to where they were seated, staring at the Doctor with an impatient scowl. "Yeah?"

"We're looking for someone," the Doctor stated.

The bartender continued to stare at him, his frown deepening ever further.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Um... anyway. Know any gun dealers I can buy some guns from?"

As the words left his lips, Rory scooted away a few inches more, turning his head away in distress.

"How would I know?" the bartender replied dryly. "Now, do you want something to drink or not?"

The Doctor, looking quite awkward, shook his head.

The bartender scowled at him, then moved on to help other customers at the bar.

"That went well," Amy said.

"I thought the bartender would know..."

Suddenly River turned around, her hand whipping out the concealed gun at her side and pointing it discreetly at someone behind her, moving so suddenly that it made both James and the Doctor jump in surprise and alarm.

"I don't like eavesdroppers," she said.

The alien (who was completely blue alien with tinges of purple, had no face, his right hand replaced with some kind of heavy weapon and wearing a black suit) backed away slightly, opening his hand and gun and lifting them a little in surrender. "Wasn't eavesdropping. Your friend just talks too loud. Couldn't help but overhearing," he said (how was a mystery since he didn't have a mouth) "But I think you'll be pleased I did."

"Oh?" River asked with interest, though her posture remained the same, gun still trained on him.

The alien nodded emphatically. "I make it a point to know everything there is to know about this port. It's not an easy thing to do, mind you, and dangerous, too, but worth it in the end. I can tell you where to buy anything, whether it's cybernetic parts, information, weapons, black market livestock, anything really."

River regarded him with a disdainful smile. "And I suppose you offer your assistance out of the kindness of your heart?"

The alien laughed, pointing his finger at her in forced and nervous amusement. "I get commission for every customer I bring to the vendors. It works well for everyone. I get paid, the vendors I work for get paid, and their customers get what they want. Everyone's happy," he replied.

"Lovely!" the Doctor said happily. "In that case, can you tell us where to find a gun dealer?"

"Depends on what kind of gun you're looking for," the blue alien replied, folding his arms over his chest and leaning on one leg in a more relaxed stance, now that he was distracted from River's gun, which had yet to be re-holstered.

The Doctor and James exchanged uncertain looks, shrugging to one another, then looked at the alien again. "We actually don't know... the kind that a hit man might use, I suppose..."

"That's not a very small list," he said. "You have anything more specific for me?"

"Show him the picture," Amy said.

"Oh! Good idea. Maybe you can tell us where this man gets _his_ weapons from," the Doctor said, digging through his pockets and producing the picture of Mr. Boots, showing it to him.

The alien took one look at it, then went wide-eyed and looked up at them with new found alarm. "Where did you get that picture?"

"A friend," the Doctor said, putting it back in his inside pocket. "You know him?"

"No, and I'm hoping to keep it that way," he said. "I've had one or two dealings with him and neither of them ended well."

"Then you know who sells him his weapons?" River asked.

"Well, yes, but there are other dealers that have the same weapons. Why so specific about it?" he asked, then paused, staring at them for a moment as though something had just occurred to him. "You're looking for him, aren't you?"

"Yes, but he's looking for us, too, so really we're just making it easier for him," James piped in calmly.

The alien blinked at him. "Have you lost your minds?"

"Yes," Rory said in dismay.

"Are you going to help or not?" River asked.

The alien frowned, rubbing the back of his neck indecisively, obviously disliking the idea of involving himself with anything having to do with Mr. Boots, but after a while, he finally nodded. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. And I never helped you," he said, pointing a finger at them warningly.

"Of course not," River said, smiling and putting the gun back into its holster, which was concealed beneath her shirt.

"Right then," the Doctor said, hopping off of the bar stool. "Lead the way-"

"Sao Til," he replied.

"Hello, Sao Til," the Doctor greeted pleasantly.

Sao Til nodded in acknowledgement.

"So... what got you into this business?" James asked.

"Well, I used to be an arms dealer. Arms, legs, hands, fingers, any body part," he said. "Maybe I sold you something?"

"No, all my limbs are original... well, sort of... bit of a long story, but I didn't buy any, no," James said as the five of them began to follow Sao Til out of the bar.

"You were a _literal_ arms dealer?" Amy asked, laughing at the thought.

"Yes, I was," Sao Til replied. "Got a little over my head, though and had to back out of the job."

"Oh, you poor thing," River said, giving him a sarcastic look of pity.

His head turned to her, and although he had no expression, it was easy to guess what it would have been.

They walked out into the street again and Sao Til turned down one of the smaller streets. They made their weaved their way through the port, watching ships come and go. The port wasn't terribly large, so it didn't take long for them to get to where they were going.

Sao Til stopped in front of a small shed-like building, wrapping on the door in a pattern. A slat in the door slid open, revealing a single, large black eye. It looked at the Doctor, James, River, Amy and Rory, then lastly Sao Til before closing again. They heard several locks unhitch and the door opened, creaking loudly and scraping along the ground.

A large, grey-skinned creature opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing them entrance.

Sao Til walked inside without glancing at the creature.

The Doctor turned to Amy and Rory and had them follow him inside, letting James and River take up the rear.

They descended a flight of stairs into a very large cellar filled with crates, barrels and boxes. A table was in the center of the room where half a dozen men and aliens were playing a game of cards, smoking up a storm so that the entire room appeared blurry.

Two of the men at the table were aliens, one looking much like the creature at the door, and the other a Silurian. The four others were men, two concealed by shadow, hats that were turned down over their faces and jacket collars that were lifted up over their necks. The other two looked a little more relaxed, leaning back in their seats, jackets off.

Of the two more relaxed, it was the bald man that looked up as the entered, taking a whiff of the cigarette in his mouth before flicking it on the floor and crushing it with his shoe. "Sao?"

"Good to see you, Holtus," Sao Til said.

Holtus smiled. "This is a bit of a bad time, Sao. I'm in the middle of a game. I've got a lot of money on the table."

"Oh, well if it's a bad time, I can just come back la-"

"Ooh, poker!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly. "I love poker. I'm good at poker. I won a baby once. Not sure how that happened or who bet their baby, but it was very awkward. It was a draconian baby, too. They like to bite. Needless to say, that was an unpleasant week."

"I remember that," James said with a laugh. "He ate all of my ties."

The Doctor laughed. "And the cushions to the seats!"

"Ugh, it was like sitting on a metal skeleton for a while there," James said.

"Excuse me," Holtus said, looking between the two of them with his brow raised. "Who are you?"

"John Smith," the Doctor said, "And this is my brother, James."

"That's great, but what are you doing here?" Holtus asked impatiently, looking now at Sao Til for an explanation to the interruption.

Sao Til didn't say anything, apparently having achieved what he had come to do.

"Is that any way to treat friends of your best customer?" River asked sweetly.

Holtus eyed her thoughtfully. "You're a friend of Segoma's?"

"Well, we'd say yes, but since that name's a fake, then, no," James said.

"I call him Mr. Boots," the Doctor put in with a grin.

Holtus raised a brow at him. "Mr. Boots?"

"Better than The Cowboy," Amy murmured.

"He doesn't have friends," Holtus said, "He has victims and associates. So either you work for him... or you're his work."

"I doubt they're his work," said the other relaxed man sitting beside Holtus, "You'd have to be a mad man to go looking for him."

"Well, I have a box, so that helps," the Doctor said.

Everyone at the table looked at him.

Holtus' expression tightened with dawning realization. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the group. "You're the Doctor..."

The Doctor's brow rose in surprise. "Oh, I didn't actually expect anyone here to know me."

"I've heard of you, but I wouldn't recognize you if Grant didn't talk about you so often," Holtus said. "You're his obsession."

"I'm flattered," the Doctor said.

Holtus looked at the other members of his group. "And I'm guessing that's Amy and Rory Pond there?"

Amy and Rory looked at each other and then waved awkwardly. "Hello," they murmured uncomfortably.

"He mentioned me, too?" Amy asked.

Holtus nodded, then looked at River. "Doctor River Song?"

River smiled. "Hello," she said, her voice sweet and smooth with confidence.

Holtus looked lastly at James, staring at him for a long while. "Captain Jack Harkness?"

James looked appalled. "Really? _Really?_"

"Close," the Doctor said with a laugh.

"You shouldn't have come here," Holtus said. "He could turn up at any time."

"Fine by me," the Doctor said. "That's actually why I'm here. I'm looking for him."

"_You're_ looking for _him?_" the other man said. "You _are_ mad."

"Yes, I am, but like I said, I have a box, so it evens out," the Doctor replied nonchalantly. "Now," he said, taking a step forward that seemed to make everyone in the room more alert than they had been a moment ago, "tell me where to find him."

"I don't know where to find him," Holtus replied calmly, taking a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lighting it. "He comes and goes as he pleases. Follows his own schedule." He took a whiff of the cigarette and blew the smoke off to the side, purposefully away from the Doctor, almost as though he was being careful not to anger him.

"Oh come on, now. Surely you can do better than that," River said, stepping forward so that she stood beside the Doctor.

"I can't," Holtus said, shaking his head. "He's always on jobs and never stays in one place for very long. I might see him tomorrow or months from now. There's just no telling when or where he'll show up."

"Sounds like you, Doctor," Amy said.

"It does a bit," Rory agreed.

"Well, he used to be a Time Agent. If his Vortex Manipulator is still working, it's not much of a surprise," River said.

"Looks like you came for nothing, Doctor," Holtus said, locking eyes with him coldly. He didn't continue staring for long.

"Not necessarily," said one of the men, tilting his hat back and sitting up so that he was more visible.

James squinted at him. "Dickson?"

"And Nigh," the other man said, flipping his hat off of his head. "How are you, James?"

"Oh, weeell, I'm managing," James said, staring at the two of them with new found alarm, glancing around the room. "Where's-"

"Not here," Dickson said. "He had to make a few calls."

Holtus looked extremely confused, apparently unaware who exactly he had been hosting at his poker game, but everyone was too busy to explain the situation to him.

Sao Til, meanwhile, had crept his way along the wall towards the door, and at Dickson revealing himself, had bolted out the door, realizing he was way out of his depth and taking his chance at freedom while there was still time.

Dickson and Nigh stood from the table, tall, muscular and threatening-looking.

River's hand flew to the gun at her side, raising it and pointing it too fast for anyone to react in time. She took a half step in front of the Doctor protectively, focused and steady as she watched her targets.

Dickson and Nigh looked at each other unconcernedly, making no move to attack or to surrender. If anything, Nigh just looked amused and Dickson looked bored. "That gun's pretty well useless, little lady," Nigh said derisively. "We were just about to leave, actually."

"So soon?" River asked. "But we have _so_ much to talk about."

"Not really. We're just here to make sure you lot got here," Dickson droned with disinterest. "Now you're here and our work for the moment is done."

The Doctor, James and River looked at each other.

"What's that?" James asked.

Nigh began grabbing money from the table and stuffing it into his pockets (everyone too distracted to stop him) and then he and Dickson turned towards them. "We've done what we were supposed to. The Cowboy figured you lot would come here," Dickson said.

"Oh, but don't worry," Nigh said, smiling darkly and looking at James, "We'll be seeing you all real soon."

The Doctor opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could speak, the grey-skinned creature that had been guarding the door suddenly burst into the room, shouting with wild fear and panic.

"Pack it all up _now_!"

"What's going on?" Amy asked, followed by similar questions from Holtus and others in the room. Dickson and Nigh exchanged glances.

The creature, who had begun to throw things into boxes, turned and said, "It's the Shadow Proclamation."

* * *

><p><strong>I like leaving you guys with cliff-hangers if I can. ^_^ And oo-boy am I having fun! Can't wait to hear your thoughts! And thank you for all the comments and faves so far! They are absolutely lovely to see!<br>**


	17. Judoon Raid

**I am really sorry that I disappeared. So much was going on in my life that it got me stuck and I just needed to get away from fanfiction. I'm sorry if I never replied to any of you. I'm going to try to not let this happen anymore, because it's annoying and I'm sure you guys didn't like me leaving you hanging like that. **

**Anyway, apology over, here is the next chapter and the next one should be up soon. I hope you all can forgive me for my absence.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>There was a moment where no one moved, frozen, before everyone was up, knocking their chairs backwards as they stood to run.<p>

As the others fled the room, Holtus followed after them after he'd grabbed as many small boxes as he could carry.

Nigh smiled, then put his hand on Dickson's outstretched wrist. Then they disappeared.

The Doctor stared at where they had been with a frown. "You know I really hate travel by Vortex Manipulator. It's extremely unpleasant."

"It really is," James said in agreement.

"Oh, it's not that bad," River put in.

"Can we please focus on the invasion that's apparently happening?" Rory asked anxiously.

"It's not an invasion," the Doctor corrected. "It's more like a police raid."

"Are we going to get arrested?" Amy asked.

"Not if they don't catch us," the Doctor said, then added confidently, "We'll be fine as long as we get back to the TARDIS unnoticed."

"And how do you think we're going to do that?" River asked. "It's going to be chaos up there."

"Just think ninja and we'll be fine," he replied with a grin, then led the way back up the stairs they had come down not minutes ago.

River had been right. It was chaos. Judoon were swarming all over the place, making arrests and shooting anyone that showed signs of resistence. The vendors, merchants and all around unpleasant inhabitants of Vahptilliorbus were fleeing in every direction, screaming in panic and alarm.

The Doctor peeked out of the door of the now-empty building, looking around for a possible route back to the TARDIS, which was just too far away to run to. All around him was the sound of gunfire, screaming and shouting as the Judoon closed the town in on all sides, stopping anyone from trying to escape.

The Doctor gauged the distance between them and the TARDIS, then slowly stepped out of the building, careful not to draw attention to himself. He then gestured for the others to follow.

One by one they each stepped out of the building and started sliding across the walls of buildings and creeping behind vendors in order to get through the jumble of Judoon officers and fleeing criminals undetected.

It wasn't an easy journey and they had to stop several times to hide behind dumpsters, buildings, or really whatever they could find when the chaos would shift towards them.

They were three-fourths of the way there when they were spotted. They heard a shout and saw several armed Judoon running towards them.

The Doctor quick grabbed River's hand, as she was the closest to him, and began running, yelling behind him at the others to do the same. River took out her gun with her free hand, ready to fight back, but James shoved her hand down before she could pull the trigger.

"Don't," he warned as they ran. He, too, grabbed hold of Amy's hand and Amy took Rory's until all of them were holding each other's hands, keeping together as they ran from the ever growing group of Judoon officers.

One of the Judoon fired.

And hit.

Rory fell and tumbled to the ground.

Both Amy and James came to abrupt halts and whirled around, running back to him.

"Rory!" Amy cried in alarm, throwing herself onto the ground beside him and grabbing his head. His eyes were closed and he was limp.

James knelt down beside him and grabbed his wrist, looked up at Amy. "It's alright. He's just stunned. They're not shooting to kill," James assured her, then looked up as the Judoon grew closer. He frowned, looked at Amy and the unconscious Rory and frowned.

His mind whirled as he tried to decide what to do. He couldn't carry him. None of them would get to the TARDIS with the Judoon so close on their heels. There was nowhere to hide. He had only one thing to do.

Standing, James starting running away from Amy and Rory, waving his hands wildly. "Hey! Yoo-hoo! Over here you fat hippos!" he shouted as loudly and obnoxiously as he could, ensuring that he grabbed their attention.

He did. Not all of them, though and that simply wasn't good enough, so he added, "I'm armed!"

_That_ got their attention. The two that had been about to ignore him turned to him now, weapons raised.

He also got the attention of the Doctor and River, who had been oblivious to the fact that they had fallen behind.

The Doctor stopped just in front of the TARDIS and stared at James. "What the bloody hell is he doing?" he said, then saw Amy dragging a limp Rory backwards towards them.

"Doctor..." River said breathlessly, eyes fixated on Rory.

"He's just stunned," Amy huffed as she got closer. River quickly came to her aid, both of them getting one of Rory's arms over their shoulders.

"River, get them into the TARDIS. I'm going to get James," the Doctor said, then set off to do just that.

"Doctor, no, don't!" River said, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. She was busy with Rory and he was already running towards the Judoon.

James realized a little too late that shouting he was armed was a horrible idea. Judoon weren't exactly the most reasonable of beings, nor did they particularly care whether or not they could actually _see _James holding a weapon. He had said he had one, and that was enough for them to open fire.

Which they did and James barley ducked behind a building in time.

The Doctor chased after him, sprinting past the fast-approaching Judoon. He reached him shortly, panting, out of breath and they both took cover in the alleyway between two shops, taking a moment to catch their breaths.

"What..." pant, "...do you think..." pant, "you're doing?" the Doctor asked.

"It was the... only thing... I could think to do, alright?" James said, then took a peek out from behind the building. "We need to move, now, I think."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Come on, then. We need to get back to the TARDIS."

James and The Doctor decided to circle around to the back side of the TARDIS, hoping to avoid their pursuers.

They didn't get very far.

In fact, they didn't even make it out of the alleyway before Judoon were surrounding the two buildings, blocking both exits.

James and the Doctor stopped, looking at each other, and did the only thing they could think to do.

"We surrender!" the Doctor exclaimed, holding his hands up and gesturing for James to do the same.

The Judoon officers wasted no time in closing the short distance and slapping handcuffs onto each of their wrists behind their backs. They were then jostled out of the alley, back into the street, and towards a small shuttle filled with several other handcuffed unfortunates, all of whom were hanging their heads in defeat. Among them was Holtus, who looked even more displeased than the others.

James and the Doctor exchanged nervous glances as they were unceremoniously seated on either side of Holtus.

James looked around and frowned in dismay. _Well isn't this wizard. This isn't one of my best days._

The Doctor looked over at him and gave him an encouraging smile. _It'll be fine. As long as we cooperate, I'm sure we'll be out of this in no time._

James nodded. _Right. We just need to sort it out with the Shadow Architect. Shouldn't be that difficult._

They both looked at each other and frowned. This was going to be difficult.

Holtus, who had otherwise been ignoring the two, now looked up at the two of them, arching a brow at them as they telepathically communicated.

The Doctor returned the look and smiled. "Hello again."

Holtus frowned deeply.

"What a coincidence we should all get captured and put on the same shuttle. Whatever happened to your box, Holtus?"

His frowned, incredibly, deepened even further. "They confiscated it as evidence."

"Oh, that's a shame," James said. "What was in it, anyway?"

He scowled at him. "My money."

"Oh, shame that," James said, turning his attention now to the other passengers, hoping that perhaps the Judoon had caught one of Mr. Boots' men. They hadn't.

As the last passenger was brought on board, the shuttle doors closed and it blasted off to the Shadow Proclamation Headquarters.

* * *

><p>River was waiting, continuously looking out the TARDIS doors for any sign that the Doctor and James were close by.<p>

Amy and Rory stood at the stairs, looking at her anxiously.

"Now?" Amy asked impatiently. "Do you see them now?"

"I told you I'd tell you if I did, Amy," River said gently. She kept staring out, feeling the pit of her stomach sinking further and further and her chest tightening. She could see Judoon marching through the streets, occasionally getting into gun fights with unruly criminals. Through the whole "invasion", she had only seen one Judoon shot, and the criminal that had fired the gun was quickly and mercilessly shot down. The raid had been quite successful and efficient, as if they knew exactly where to go and where everyone was.

In fact, the raid was too perfect. Vahptilliorbus was a criminal hub, carefully watched and protected by its own in order to perserve its freedom of the Shadow Proclamation. It had several very high-tech and expensive (stolen, obviously) equipment that kept it veiled from any prying eyes and you couldn't just land there unless you were the Doctor. You had to have a certain landing license that in essence let everyone know you were a no-good scumbag and you were quite welcome there.

The Shadow Proclamation were completely blind to Vahptilliorbus up to today, so for them to know exactly where to go and how to proceed led her to only one conclusion.

"Someone told on us," River muttered.

"What?" Amy asked.

River shut the door and ran up to the console. "Someone told on us," she repeated. "Don't you find it strange that the Judoon only showed up when we did?"

"What are you saying?" Rory asked.

"Mr. Boots' men weren't waiting for us just to taunt us. They were there to confirm that we would show up. Think about it. The raid started _right_ after they saw us. This was a trap," she said, then started up the TARDIS.

"Wait, what about the Doctor and James?" Amy protested as the TARDIS engine began to pump up and down, whirring and thumping rhythmically.

"The raid's over. They caught them," she said, throwing a switch. "We need to get to the Shadow Proclamation."

"But why would Mr. Boots send the space police after us?" Rory asked. "I mean, once the Doctor explains everything, they'll just let him go, won't they?"

"I don't know," River admitted. "But this has Mr. Boots written all over it and we need to stay a step ahead."

Rory glanced at Amy, and then looked at River nervously. "So... what does that mean?"

"It means we need to get the Doctor and James out of the Shadow Proclamation. The longer they're there, the longer Mr. Boots has to do whatever it is that he's planning."

Rory blinked uncomprehendingly at her. "We're going to break them out of space police jail?"

River smiled playfully. "Life on the TARDIS is so boring sometimes."

* * *

><p><strong>Bit of a short chapter, I know, but with how long I've been away, I figured I should post as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed and I'll try not to let such long periods go by again.<br>**


	18. Negative Effects Of A Grudge

**Sorry if you got two alerts about this chapter. I realized I forgot a part, so I had to re-upload it.  
><strong>

**On the bright side, I now have the chance to answer a reviewer who didn't have an account, so here's to Guest; Yes, I am back! And I'm so sorry I've been away. Things are really hectic and I'm trying to update and write as often as I can. The writing part is the biggest issue, but please do feel free to nag me. The motivation is helpful :) I promise I won't hate you forever ;)  
><strong>

**And now, for Guest and everyone else who has been, reviewing, favoriting and keeping up with this story (you guys rock!) MY LATEST UPDATE! TA-DA! :D  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The ride to the Shadow Proclamation was actually fairly pleasant. The Doctor and James spent their time getting to know the other passengers. They did two rounds of introducing each other so that they everyone would remember each other's names, then did another round saying their favorite kind of lasagna. When the shuttle landed and the Judoon opened the doors, they looked at one another at the odd site as all of their prisoners finished off a traveling song the Doctor had initiated.<p>

The Doctor looked up and smiled cheerfully. "Hello! Is the trip already over?"

The Judoon didn't answer, but instead started to one by one unload the passengers, getting the fingerprints, eye-scans, and background checks on each before sending them off.

The Doctor and James were up next and carefully examined by the Judoon and although they surely knew who they were, they didn't treat them any differently until they were to be sent off with the other prisoners, most likely to holding cells.

A Judoon captain stopped the guards that were about to lead them off.

"The Shadow Architect wants to see these two," it stated.

The Doctor grimaced. "Actually, um, I think wherever the others are going would be much more comfortable. We don't really need to talk. Maybe another time though?"

The Judoon captain paid him no heed. Instead they were both dragged off to see the Shadow Architect.

The Doctor looked around the familiar room as they were brought none-too-gently into her office and it occurred to him that he had not been here since he had had James' face. It was a peculiar thought. Life could be strange sometimes.

The Shadow Architect was looking at the map of the universe, which flowed around her, revealing all of the planet (all restored to their original places thanks to the Doctor). She turned as they entered, her long, black, velvet dress draped over her matronly, pale form like a dying black rose. Her eyes fell on James first in a way that made James nervous. She looked angry. Very angry.

Her eyes past him and onto the Doctor and she looked impossibly angrier, yet her features remained steely. Her eyes, however, seemed redder than before.

"Doctor," she said to the Doctor.

This actually surprised the Doctor. He hadn't seen her since he regenerated, but he supposed the Judoon likely kept track of him as often as possible. And with all of his recent, very public activity before his 'death', he guessed she had likely recorded his new appearance.

Which, actually, was a problem.

"Two Doctors?" she asked, her voice icy and intimidating.

"Yes," the Doctor replied hastily, "I'm the Doctor, he's the Doctor, we're the Doctor. Long story. Very long and complicated. You wouldn't want to hear it, and frankly, I'm a bit tired. I could use some tea. I think the Doctor could too. Would you like some, Doctor?"

James nodded, quick to confirm the lie. "I would, actually. And maybe some cake with those little edible balls. I love those!"

"Oh, that sounds good!" the Doctor agreed, "I'd like one too!"

"Enough!" she snapped, then turned her attention to the Doctor. "Doctor, you are hereby charged with obstruction of justice, disturbance of the peace, theft, misuse of Shadow Proclamation property-"

The Doctor looked at the Shadow Architect. "Oh, come on. Really? Are you still in a huff about that? I saved the day, didn't I?"

"Some people just can't let go," James said with a shrug.

"We could have obliterated the Daleks then and there, Doctor. But because of your actions, they are still out there and everyone they kill from here forward will be on _your_ head."

James' brow furrowed at that. "Excuse me, what? That's impossible. I killed the Daleks. Very big explosion. Hard to miss."

"Be quiet! We know you're not what you claim to be."

James' brow lowered in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

She gazed angrily at him through her blood red eyes. "Don't test me. What are you? A clone perhaps?"

The Doctor, a little confused and not wanting her to doubt James' identity, quickly rambled into an explanation, "Oh, no, no. It's not cloning. You see, Time Lords can regenerate, new face, same man, all that. Sometimes I run into myself- time travel can be quite messy sometimes- but not to worry. I have everything under-"

"I am _well_ acquainted with Time Lord physiology, Doctor. I am not talking about that. That man there is not you. I am surprised it has managed to trick you so efficiently," she said, looking at the Doctor now with suspicion.

"Now hold on just a minute," the Doctor interjected, "Where did you get the ludicrous idea that he isn't me?"

"That is none of your concern," she stated.

"It is if he's being charged falsely! Now answer the question, where did you get that idea?" the Doctor said, taking a step forward and staring at her with that gaze that only the Doctor could give- it was commanding, fierce, unrelenting and in his eyes reflected all he had seen, all he had witnessed, all he had done. Few had stared at that gaze and not flinched.

The Shadow Architect was no exception. She withdrew, but just barely and regained her composure quickly. "The Shadow Proclamation has many ways of gathering intelligence, and we have plenty of informants."

"Excuse me, hello," James said, waving a hand, his other hand hanging limply in the other cuff around his hand, "Hi. I'm still here, in case you haven't noticed."

The Shadow Architect regarded him with irritation and opened her mouth to speak when a loud clatter suddenly drew everyone's attention to the stairs.

The Doctor recognized the servant from the last time he'd been here. She'd attended to Donna while he had been busy with the the Shadow Architect's universal map. She was standing at the stairs now, having dropped a platter and a cup presumably filled with something the Shadow Architect was going to drink, but now lay in a small light brown pool at the foot of the stairs. The servants eyes were completely locked onto James.

"Born of Nobles and Lords," she muttered, then crossed the room with surprising speed until she was standing a few inches away from a very befuddled James.

The servant touched her hand tentatively to the side of his face, then sharply pulled away as though she'd been burned, taking several steps back. "You're something new..."

James blinked at her, looking not only confused, but a little perturbed. She knew what he was. How could she possibly know that?

The Shadow Architect looked between the servant and James, then spoke, "Leave us. And clean up that mess you made."

For the first time since entering the room, the servant finally broke her gaze from James, looked at the Shadow Architect, and nodded, lowering her eyes to the floor and quickly scurrying out of the room.

James stared after her, quite bewildered and frankly a little irritated at being ignored. "Okay, not to sound like a broken record player, but can someone please explain why I'm being accused of not being me?"

The Shadow Architect turned her attention now to James, stating, "You are not a Time Lord. You are an imposter. And with reasonable suspicion, I am allowed to do whatever I deem necessary to determine your true nature. I think a mind probe should do well in that capacity."

The Doctor's face drained of color, and James' eyes widened in fresh alarm.

"What?!" they both said in unison.

"It's the most efficient way to discover what he is."

"Oh, wizard. Whatever happened to DNA testing? We're just going to skip all that?!" James protested as two Judoon guards came up on either side of him, taking hold of his arms.

"Our DNA testing protocols have been fooled in the past and I want to be absolutely certain of what you are," the Shadow Architect said, watching James struggle vainly in the Judoon's arms.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," the Doctor pleaded. He started forward, wanting to free James' from the arms of the Judoon, but was held at bay by two Judoon guards of his own. "You can't do that! A mind probe would kill him!"

"Nonsense. If he's a Time Lord, he should come out of it fine. If not, well, I have my answer and have done away with a criminal simultaneously."

"Please, wait, I know you're mad at me, but take it out on me, not on him. I'm the one who you're angry at. Just let him go," the Doctor again pleaded desperately.

Another Judoon guard appeared from one of the doors opposite them, carrying what appeared to be a sleeker version of a chameleon arch. At the sight of it, James' struggling grew in intensity, eyes widened in panic. "Hold on, wait, just listen to me," James said, trying to maneuver his body away from the device. The Judoon carrying the mind probe walked up to him. One of the guards holding his arm grabbed hold of a handful of hair from the back of his neck and yanked his head back roughly, keeping him from struggling as the other Judoon put the device on his head. "Ack! Doctor!"

"You can't do that to him just on conjecture! Please, even _my_ brain would turn to mush. He won't survive it!"

"But _you_ would?" the Shadow Architect inquired, holding up her hand to stop the Judoon from switching it on.

James remained frozen, hair still in the tight grip of the Judoon behind him, afraid to move for the fear that he might accidentally cause the mind probe to turn on. He looked over at the Doctor and they both shared an unspoken conversation.

_Don't tell her,_ James told him.

_Have you got a death wish?_ the Doctor replied. _What else am I supposed to do? She's about to kill you!_

_Please. For Rose's sake and mine, please don't tell her. Find another way._

_I'm sorry. There isn't one._

The Doctor sighed, then looked at an impatiently waiting Shadow Architect. "Listen... you're right. He's not me. He's not the Doctor. Or... he isn't anymore. He was, sort of. He was my hand. It's very complicated. Please, just, let him go and I'll explain it all to you."

The Shadow Architect regarded him thoughtfully, then nodded. "Very well," she agreed, then looked at the Judoon soldiers. "Detain him for now. The Doctor and I will discuss his fate later."

The Judoon took the mind probe off of James' head and released his hair, and he gratefully stretched his neck in circles. Before he could say a word, he was led out of the room by the two rhinoceros-looking aliens, leaving the Doctor and the Shadow Architect alone.

She waited until they left before taking a seat at her glass desk and offering the seat opposite her to the Doctor. "Now," she said, "Explain."

* * *

><p><strong>More to come soon. Thank you so much for all of the support thus far!<br>**


	19. That's Just What The Doctor Does

**I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but since I did post a chapter a few days ago (2? 3?) I figured I could be forgiven ;P**

**Another Rose chappie! I decided I needed to go further into what was going on in Pete's World and will continue to do so periodically.  
><strong>

**So without further ado: Rose Tyler everybody!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Her Mum had done her best to comfort her, assure her that they would find a way to get him back, but her words meant nothing.<p>

She spent her days with Pete, as he searched for a safe way into the other dimension.

"There must be a way. Morgan Gates found a way," Pete kept saying to his scientists, all of whom insisted that it was impossible. He urged them on despite their continual assertions that it couldn't be done.

Pete often sat in his office, rubbing his hands over his face tiredly, taking calls and looking over the most viable ways of transport between the universes, all of which were hypothetical and impossible to actually do.

When Rose wasn't at Torchwood, she was at home, cradling the small piece of coral from the TARDIS in her lap, talking to it, urging it to grow. Not that it really mattered if it did suddenly grow. She wouldn't be able to fly it anyway, much less get to the other universe, but it was the only link she had to James and the Doctor.

She had found herself thinking about the Doctor a lot since James had been taken. If they did somehow manage to get to the other universe, she could see him again. Would he look the same? Had he regenerated since he'd left her?

The more she thought about him, the more guilty she felt. She wanted to find James, she knew that, but the idea of seeing the Doctor continuously crept back into her conscious. Distracting her. Exciting her. And the more those thoughts filled her mind, the more guilt plagued her. The Doctor had assured her that they were the same man and he was right... and he was wrong.

It was something that had been troubling her ever since she and James had started their new life together. He was the same. Exactly the same. Yet he couldn't be any more different.

It had been little things at first; snappy comments that were very dislike the Doctor, name-calling (not necessarily harmful names, but more things like "Blondie" and "Earth Girl" and "Bruce Willis" in Pete's case), he could type and text much faster than she remembered him being able to, and a slight varying of interests. At first, she'd thought it was just his way of adapting to human life, but the little differences started to become more prominent.

He often looked sad and she had no idea why, nor would he tell her.

"I'm fine," he'd say and she knew he was lying.

And he was angry. The Doctor had warned her as much, but she hadn't really prepared herself for it. Much of his work at Torchwood involved him yelling at some poor, unsuspecting scientist about the way they were treating the aliens they'd bring in (which, ninety percent of the time was as civil as they could manage) or how they seemed intent on making better weapons to kill each other with.

She had thought he was missing their old life on the TARDIS, much like she had been missing it. She thought it would take both of their minds off of it if they worked to get the TARDIS growing more quickly. Their problems would go away if everything went back to the way it was.

That only pushed him further away. It was all he'd think about, all he could focus his incredibly distracted mind on.

All of this she'd tried to ignore, convincing herself that everything would be fine once they got back to their old life in the TARDIS... back when he was the Doctor.

Exactly the same. Exactly different.

She felt trapped by her own thoughts. Round and round they went, thinking of James, thinking of the Doctor, exactly the same, exactly different, round and round.

She needed to get away from her own mind. She put the piece of coral into a shoulder bag (where she always put it to keep it with her) then went downstairs from her room and into the living room, where her mother was, curled up on the couch with her knees hugging her chest. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a bowl of kettle corn popcorn in a bowl beside her, watching Britain's Got Talent.

Rose took a seat beside her, curling up in a similar position, though she hugged her knees closer and stared at the screen without actually watching it.

Jackie looked over at her and smiled softly. "Hey, there."

"Hi," Rose said with an unemphatic tone.

"How are you doing?"

Rose licked her lips and looked at her mom uncertainly. "I'm... I'm confused."

Jackie looked at her for a moment, then grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. "What about?"

"I'm confused... about James."

"What about him?"

"It's just that... Mum, I don't know how to explain it. It's just... I keep thinking about the Doctor and about James. They're so... alike. They're practically the same, but-"

"He's different," Jackie finished for her.

Rose blinked at her in surprise and nodded. "Yeah... I didn't think you noticed."

"I'm Mommy. I notice everything," Jackie said with a playful smile. She turned her body to the side a little bit in order to look at her daughter better. "I did notice. I noticed you both."

"What do you mean?"

Jackie put a leg beneath her and let the other fall off of the couch, turning and putting a hand on Rose's knee. "Rose... losing the Doctor was very hard on you and when you got James you thought everything would be the same. And that was the problem. You saw it and I saw it."

"I pressured him," Rose lamented. "I made him feel like he had to be the Doctor. The Doctor said they were the same person and I just assumed... Oh, mum, it's like he's regenerated all over again, except he's..."

"Not the Doctor," Jackie said.

Rose felt tears creeping into her eyes. "I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not," Jackie said, leaning forward further to cup Rose's tear-stained face in her hands. "You're not a horrible person. We were _all_ putting expectations on him. Your dad thought he was a bomb waiting to go off, for goodness sake."

"But something's different. Something changed and I don't know what to do!" she let out a little sob and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. "I don't know why I feel this way, because I know I love him, but... he's not _my_ Doctor. It's not like when he regenerated. It's different somehow."

What made her feel worse, was that she knew that James had sensed those feelings from her, too.

He'd tried to fix it by trying to be the Doctor again for her, and he resented the Doctor for it; resented her for it, although she knew he would never tell her that.

"Sweetheart, I know this whole transition has been hard on you- its been hard on all of us- but no matter what's happening, you need to decide what's best for _you_. None of the other stuff matters. Just that. Listen to your heart- and I know that's cliche, but I mean it. _You_ know what _you_ want and need."

Rose nodded.

She did.

"But first things first," Jackie said, "First we're going to find James, whether we have to break a whole in the wall thing or not, because we love him- you love him, even if it's not in the way you thought you might. I know you love him. So we're going to find him. Pete's doing the best he can and you can bet the Doctor is, too."

Rose smiled at that.

The Doctor would find him. That's just what the Doctor does.

* * *

><p><strong>Has anyone else noticed that Torchwood is Doctor Who, with the letters all scrambled up? I hadn't until just yesterday. Aaah, the wonderful cleverness of the Who Universe. ^_^<br>**

**I hope you enjoyed this little preview into Pete's World! And no worries! Next chapter will be up very soon! I'm on writing fire! XP Looking forward to hearing from you all! :D  
><strong>


	20. The Ponds And A Cup Of Tea

**Hello peoples! I can't believe all of the support this story has been getting! It makes me so very happy! Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I've got another cliffie for you, so prepare yourselves!**

**Also, I don't know much about the Judoon, because I haven't actually seen the episode where they are most prominent, so please forgive me if I've gotten a few things wrong. **

**Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy the update and I look forward to hearing from you all!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Rory woke up slowly, feeling quite groggy and unsure as to how he had ended up on a soft, comfortable cloud.<p>

No, wait, that wasn't a cloud.

That was a bed.

How had he ended up in a bed?

It took him several minutes to piece together the blurred fragments of memory, but slowly he started to remember what had happened.

Oh... he had been shot.

He prayed he hadn't died again. He was getting sick of that.

He slowly opened his eyes, testing whether or not they were functional. He was successful, so attempted to look around. His eyes wandered from the ceiling to the right of where he lay, where he could see a nightstand, where a small, green-shaded lamp sat, alongside an alarm clark, a miniature TARDIS, which Amy had painstakingly made many years ago, and a picture of himself and Amy on their wedding day.

Oh, good, he was in his own bed in the TARDIS. Very good sign.

Now a little more testing.

He blinked a little, lifted his head and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was surprised to find that instead of feeling nauseous or dizzy like he was expecting, he felt fully refreshed, like all he'd done was gone to bed for a short nap.

He was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing before (a black, blue and white plaid, long-sleeved button up shirt, a black vest and jeans) and had been laid down on the side of the bed with a blanket caringly placed over him.

He got out of the bed, stretching a bit, walked over to the door, and opened it. His ears were immediately filled with the sounds of a moving TARDIS, alerting him that they were in-flight.

He walked down the hallway, eager to learn what all had transpired since he blacked out. He walked down the steps into the main room, where River and Amy appeared to be deep in discussion, while River manned (or womanned) the TARDIS console, keeping them in flight while they talked.

Amy sat in one of the seats round the console, arms crossed over her chest and one leg resting on the other, watching River work. "That's a stupid plan."

River laughed. "From your perspective, it probably seems that way."

"_I_ don't want to get arrested," Amy said. "There's absolutely _no_ way to get them out sneakily?"

"The Shadow Prolamation has highly advanced security systems. They're going to know we're there as soon as we've landed. So why bother trying to avoid them?"

"Is that _really_ the best plan you two could come up with?" Rory complained as he descended the stairs.

Amy looked up, a bright and relieved smile spreading over her face as she stood and crossed the distance between them, locking him in a tight hug. She then pulled away. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Rory assured her, then led her over to one of the seats where they both settled. "I am a little confused, though. What hap-"

"You were shot by a stun gun," River explained promptly. "Perfectly harmless. Amy and I carried you inside."

"And I suppose the Doctor and James are-"

"Captured," River stated. "Giving us time to get away. Always having to be the hero." She said this as though she were irritated, but she could not hide a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She was having fun.

"So the plan is to..."

"Walk right through the front door. As long as the laws haven't changed recently, we can get the Doctor and James out through completely legal channels."

"Won't that take too long?" Rory asked.

"Maybe on earth, but not with the Judoon. They're very strict when it comes to their rules and laws. They'll be more than happy to let the Doctor and James go as soon as possible when I prove they're holding them unlawfully."

"They are?"

"Well, technically, yes and no. Shadow Proclamation laws can be a little complicated at times. There are certain conditions that would allow them to hold the Doctor and James for an extended period of time, but neither of them have comitted a crime recently. They're allowed to leave whenever they want, but of course the Doctor doesn't know that."

"Oh," Rory said in surprise. "So, for once, we actually _can_ just walk in?"

River smiled smugly. "That's right," she said confidently, then pulled a lever, bringing the TARDIS to a halt. "And look at that! Here we are now."

Amy and Rory stood up and started for the door, then stopped when River made no inclination to move.

"Aren't you coming?" Amy asked.

River shook her head. "I can't."

"What? Why not?" Rory asked, quite worried now.

River simply shrugged. "I'm a fugitive. I can't very well just waltz into the Shadow Proclamation now can I? You two can, though."

"But we don't know anything about Shadow Proclamation laws!" Rory protested.

"I know you don't. But I do, so I'll keep in contact," she said, picking up an earpiece where it had been placed on the TARDIS console, the same earpiece the Doctor had used to communicate with Amy not long ago when he'd been thrown from the TARDIS. "Here," she said, handing it to Rory. "Just say what I say and you'll be fine."

Rory nodded nervously, placing it in his ear, feeling more than a little anxious now. He understood why River had to stay behind, but he would have felt much more comfortable if she were going to go with them.

Amy, who was much harder to worry or dissuade, nodded and turned around to the door, ready to face whatever lay ahead. She opened the door and stepped out, Rory following on her heels, shutting the door behind him.

Just as River had anticipated, several Judoon officers were waiting for them, guns poised.

Amy looked around, alarmed but not particularly afraid, unlike Rory, who was doing his best not to visibly shake. Looking at the Judoon, he began to wonder if rhinos on earth were actually aliens.

"Identify yourselves," one of the Judoon said, its voice harsh and deep.

"Hello," Amy said, swallowing, now a little more nervous. "I'm Amy Pond and this is my husband, Rory."

Rory waved meekly, but didn't say anything. Amy seemed to be managing just fine on her own.

"We're here for the Doctor and... and the other Doctor," she said, realizing that the Doctor probably had identified James as one of his past lives. She wasn't sure what reason the Doctor would want to do that for, but he always knew what he was doing, so she didn't question it.

"You are companions of the Doctor?" the Judoon questioned.

"Yes."

"This is the the Doctor's ship?" the Judoon asked, looking past her at the TARDIS.

"Yes," Amy answered, glancing behind her to make sure the door was closed.

"This vehicle is now confiscated," the Judoon said with an almost mechanical tone, lacking any emotion in the statement, "The humans are to be taken to detainment areas."

"U-um, that's illegal," Rory muttered nervously, then heard River speak in his ear.

"_Under section C, paragraph 12, you cannot detain us without reason and documentation stating the legality of our detainment."_

Rory hesitated at first, fearful of angering the large rhino-like aliens, but as they advanced on them, ready to take them into custody, Rory finally stammered through the sentence as fast as he could, "Um, um, um, under section uh... section C, paragraph ehm- 12, you can't detain us without reason and documents stating the... the legality of our um... detainment."

At these words, the Judoon halted.

Rory looked at them each nervously, eyes wide, but stood tall and nodded as though he believed firmly in everything he'd just repeated.

The Judoon looked at the largest of them, the leader, who growled and returned his weapon to its holster on his back. He didn't seem very pleased that Rory knew so much about their laws and regulations. "You will follow me."

Amy and Rory nodded.

The large Judoon turned to his officers, ordering, "Take the Time Lord technology to sector 2."

The other Judoon nodded curtly, then set off to complete their task.

Amy and Rory began following the large Judoon down a white hall, glancing back at the TARDIS, which was being carted away by the rhino-like aliens, River still hidden within.

They followed him down several long hallways, having to speed up their pace in order to keep up with the Judoon's long, determined strides. Finally, after they rounded a corner, the Judoon stopped and opened a door, ushering the two inside.

They came into a large white room, lit with a faint blue light. At the end of the room to the right was a staircase leading into a darker upper level. To the left was a beautiful glass desk where it appeared to have several holographic computer screens hovering above and within it. To the right in the corner was a quiet, intricate fountain, peacefully spilling water into the little pool beneath.

Amy and Rory looked around in awe as the Judoon guard turned and left them alone, shutting the door behind them. In the midst of their observations, it took them a moment to notice as an alarmingly familiar man walked steadily down the steps of the staircase, the spurs on his boots clinking with each step. The man came down to the bottom and crossed the room, opening a hidden cabinet and proceeding to make himself a cup of tea.

Rory and Amy stared at him, stunned into silence, as they watched him.

After he'd finished making his tea, stirring it with a small spoon and taking a sip, he turned his head and looked at the two. "Oh. Hello," he greeted, glanced down at his cup, then lifted it towards them. "Care for some tea?"

* * *

><p><strong>Told you it was a cliffie. It's about to get a bit timey-wimey, folks, so hold onto your hats! <strong>


	21. A Talk And A Tiff

**Hello once again audience! Starting right back where we left off. Mr. Boots and the Ponds chat it up over tea and the Doctor has a tiff with the Shadow Architect. I felt like this chapter was really long when I was writing it, but then I put the document up and it wasn't that long. :/ Sorry about that, peoples. The next chapter is nearly finished being written and should be up in a couple of days, but until then, please enjoy this update! :D  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Amy and Rory just stared at him, both stunned into silence.<p>

Mr. Boots stared back, looking a little confused. After a moment, the confusion melted away, and he then tilted his head, grinning. "Well, I don't believe it. Amy and Rory Pond."

Amy blinked. "What?"

"The Ponds," Mr. Boots repeated, turning to the cabinet and proceeding to make two more cups of tea. "Companions to the Doctor."

"You know who we are," Amy said accusingly.

Mr. Boots looked at her and laughed. "Oh yeah, that's you alright. How do you two take your tea?"

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked, her fists clenching and her face tightening in anger and wariness.

Mr. Boot's brow furrowed in confusion. "Depends... what are _you_ doing here?"

Rory leaned in close to whisper into Amy's ear. "Is he messing with us?"

"We're here to see the Shadow Architect," Amy said, trying to sound confident and intimidating.

Mr. Boots picked up the two cups and walked towards them, holding them out for them to take. When they took a step back, he stopped and extended his arms further so that they could grab them from a distance. "She's busy at the moment. You may have to wait a while yet," he said, going back for his own tea and taking a sip. "You're more than welcome to make yourselves comfortable until then."

Amy and Rory, tea in their hands, watched him cross the room, set his cup down on the desk, then walk over to the wall beside the desk, opening a panel where he pulled out two chairs just as nice as the chair at the desk, which he unfolded and placed opposite the desk. He gestured for them to sit, then took a seat at the desk himself, taking up his tea once more.

Rory glanced at Amy uncertainly, but both took the seats.

Amy didn't touch her tea, nor did she even look at it. She just sat, staring at Mr. Boots as he calmly drank his tea and lifted his legs up onto the desk, folding one foot over the other, giving Amy a good look at his spurs, which appeared to be custom made, along with the rest of his black, leather boots.

Mr. Boots followed her gaze. "A gift," he said.

"Who gives spurred boots as a gift?" Rory asked.

Mr. Boots chuckled. "My father, actually. "He was into the old western movies from Earth," he replied, then stared at the two for a moment in contemplation. "I suppose you two are here for the Doctor, then?"

"You're not?" Amy pried.

Mr. Boots looked at her and she saw that he was genuinely confused by the question. "No. I'm here to see the Shadow Architect as well. I've got some business I need to discuss with her."

"Business?" Rory asked.

"I'm collecting on a bounty," he replied with a smug grin, then took another sip of his tea, revealing the vortex manipulator on his wrist.

"What kind of bounty?"

"The kind that gets you money."

"So..." Rory began, licking his lips nervously and sitting rather stiffly in his seat, "You _work_ for the space police?"

Mr. Boots laughed. "Yes, I work for the "space police"," he answered, laughing more at Rory's term for the Shadow Proclamation.

"But you're a killer. A hit-man," Rory blundered.

"Rory!" Amy snapped, trying to get him to be quiet.

"Is that so?" he asked, removing his feet from the desk and leaning forward to stare at them, lacing his fingers in front of him, "I suppose then we've met before? Or will meet."

Amy could hardly believe what she'd just heard. He hadn't met them before? What was going on? Now that she knew, she wondered how she hadn't seen it. He was wearing his vortex manipulator pompously, like he was proud of it and wasn't in the least worried about concealing it, and he looked younger. Not a lot younger, but younger still.

"We have," Rory said, getting over the whole idea more quickly than Amy. "We're from your future, actually."

Mr. Boots nodded. "I expected as much. You seem to know me quite intimately."

"Actually, I think we've only known you for a day. Maybe two. Time gets a little..."

"Confusing," Mr. Boots replied with a supportive smile. He then waved his vortex manipulator. "You're telling me. I didn't think I'd run into you two for a long time yet."

"You knew you were going to meet us?"

Mr. Boots grinned. "Yes. It's been my intention for a while now. Although, I _will_ say I thought I'd meet the Doctor himself first. Ah, well. I suppose the order doesn't really matter. Besides, by the look of it, I'll get to meet him shortly."

Amy's expression hardened into a hateful glare. "If you hurt him-"

Mr. Boots raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, Mrs. Pond," he said reassuringly, "You lot are ahead of my time. Wouldn't want to cause a paradox, now would I? I've been treading on shaky enough grounds in that area as it is."

"What do you-" Amy began, but was interrupted when the door opened and the three of them looked over to see who it was.

Looking like they were having a very heated discussion, in walked the Shadow Architect and the Doctor.

* * *

><p>The Doctor had been trying desperately to explain the situation to the Shadow Architect, but she was mad at him. She'd put up an invisible wall, drowning out everything he had to say to her.<p>

She had been kind enough to remove the handcuffs, but still had two Judoon officers escort him as he followed her down winding, long hallways, trying tirelessly to get her attention.

"Will you stop being so stubborn and listen to me?" the Doctor said in exasperation. He didn't have time for her to be petty. She needed to understand what he was trying to tell her before it was too late to go back.

"Why would I listen to you, Doctor?" the Shadow Architect asked. "Surely whatever is so important, you can handle yourself."

"Listen to me, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, I really am, but I did what I thought was right. I won't apologize for that. If I hadn't have left, there's no telling what would have happened. But right now you need to let go of this grudge and listen to what I'm saying."

"Doctor, the Shadow Proclamation has rules and protocols that we follow precisely. I will _not_ make any exceptions."

"You have no idea the kind of damage that could come of putting him down on paper," the Doctor said, his desperation and anger growing, "Even _you_ knowing is a danger to him."

"And what exactly is so special about that man?" the Shadow Architect asked, stopping in her tracks and whirling around to stare the Doctor in the face, her eyes impossibly redder. "Why is it _so_ important that there be no record of him?"

The Doctor sighed. "He's got a Time Lord mind in a human body. To my enemies, he's very valuable. If _any_ of them know about him, I can't take him home, or they'll tear the universes apart trying to get to him. Do you understand _that_?"

The Shadow Architect stared at him, as though she was disinclined to believe him. She started walking again, holding her head high and not looking his direction. "Doctor, I cannot, in good conscious, let an _unknown_ being wander universes at will, without knowing what he is capable of."

"He is _my_ responsibility," the Doctor said, his voice tightening in frustration and warning. "What happens to him and what he does is _my_ business. Not yours." He put all the command and authority he could muster into those words and they seemed to shake her resolve a bit. She opened the door into her office, leading the two of them inside, unaware of the three people sitting and staring at them from their seats at the Shadow Architect's desk.

"Doctor, I assure you, any information we gather on him will be perfectly safe here," she said.

"Shadow Architect, I have lived a _very_ long time and there is one thing I've learned that is certain; nowhere is safe. Not here. Not in your home. Not even in your own bed. There is a way to get information from this place and I can guarantee you someone will eventually find it, and when they do, James will _not_ be safe. You and the rest of the universe will not be safe. Nowhere will be safe. Now I will tell you this once and only once," he said, pointing a finger at her, his eyes almost ablaze with warning, "If you do this, it will be on your head."

* * *

><p><strong>The Shadow Architect needs to learn not to mess with the Doctor. He knows what he's talking about. X) I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thank you so much for the faves, alerts and reviews :) More reviews are always appreciated and an awesome boost to get me writing faster! :D<br>**


	22. Nice To Meet You

**Alrighty then! My utmost apologies for the lateness of this update (I apologize about my updates way too much... sorry...) It would have been uploaded Tuesday, but it was my birthday and although I hadn't thought my family or friends had planned anything, they had, so I didn't get to update when I wanted. Then work and preparations for college and scholarships and yadda-yadda-yadda... aka, sorry. But it's up now and I feel it is of reasonable length, if not a little longer than the last couple updates I've posted. So... there ya go ;)**

**Btw, THANK YOU for the faves and watches! I've been surprised at the attention my story is getting. Next chapter promises to reveal a question I've left unanswered for a while now, so there's that. As far as this chapter goes, I reveal a bit more of Mr. Boots' identity! So please enjoy :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Ow!" James griped as an albino woman took a blood sample from his arm. "You could've warned me!"<p>

She ignored him, taking the needle and walking swiftly out of the room.

Since being separated from the Doctor, James had been subjected to several tests to determine what he was, despite his explanations. He had tried to tell them, but they seemed to be determined to do the tests regardless.

He had been taken to a white sterile room and guided rather roughly into a chair. The cuffs around his wrists were removed, and several albino servants began their examinations of him, poking and prodding at him in a hurried, emotionless rush. They took samples of blood, saliva, hair, skin, then took him to another room where they took some X-rays and several scans. They did multiple brain scans and looked quite puzzled by the results.

Eventually he was sat in a detainment room, which was just a perfectly square, white room with two chairs and a table between them. There were cameras, of course, hidden in the walls, but James being, well, James, found them quickly and decided to spend the time he had alone making faces into them and signing gibberish in several sign languages.

Finally a Judoon entered the room, sitting down in the seat closest to the door.

James took the seat opposite him, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head in the palms of his hands, a bored expression on his face. "It's about time. I was beginning to wonder if you lot had forgotten about me. So, what next? Am I free to go yet?"

The Judoon growled at him and looked down at a clipboard he was holding. "Name." It was meant as a question, but spoken as a demand.

"James Smith. Hello, how do you do?" he said pleasantly, extending his hand to shake the Judoon's. When the alien made no move to shake it, he leaned back in his chair.

The Judoon jotted down the answer, then moved to the next question. "Age."

James laughed. "Um... that's actually a bit complicated. Can we just put non-applicable?"

"Age," the Judoon repeated.

"903," he answered, then pursed his lips in thought, then added as he waved his hand from side to side, "...and two months... ish... somewhere around there. I don't really know. Somewhere around there."

The Judoon glared at him.

"903," James reiterated.

"Gender."

James blinked at him, then guffawed. "You're joking right?"

"Gender," the Judoon grumbled angrily.

"Alright. Calm down, big boy. Male," he said, then added, "... obviously."

"Species identification."

James rolled his eyes, getting more bored by the second. "Half human, half Time Lord meta-crisis."

"Male origin."

James' brow furrowed. "What?"

"Male origin." it repeated.

James thought for a second, then raised his brows in realization. "Oh! You mean my father. Well, technically, I don't have a-"

"Male origin," the Judoon growled, its anger and impatience increasing.

"Oi! Steady there, Jumbo," he said, then sighed in resignation and replied a little bitterly, "the Doctor."

The Judoon jotted the answer down. "Female origin."

James hesitated. He couldn't tell them Donna was his "mother". They might want to do tests on her. He knew what had happened to her after the Crucible and knew the danger in her regaining her memory. He couldn't risk that. He needed another name, one that wouldn't really matter. Someone they couldn't get to.

"Rose Tyler," he said at last, before the Judoon could get any angrier.

It wrote the answer down.

"What is the square route of 9,466?"

James rolled his head back and groaned. Would this torture ever end?

* * *

><p>River knew the TARDIS had been moved, but she had suspected it would. That didn't really matter. So long as Amy and Rory were able to talk to the Shadow Architect, this whole endeavor would go smoothly.<p>

On the speakers she'd connected to Rory's earpiece, she heard him mutter, "Is he messing with us?"

She was about to inquire as to what was going on, when suddenly she heard ringing. It took her a few minutes to figure where exactly the ringing was coming from, because it wasn't the phone. Finally, she went to the screen and turned it on, causing Jack Harkness' face to appear in front of her.

He looked at her and then smiled seductively. "Well, hello there, beautiful," he said.

She smiled and shook her head. She knew Jack well enough to know that he would do the same to a tree if it had sexual organs, so just blew it off. "Hello, Jack. I'm afraid the Doctor's out at the moment. Can I take a message?"

Jack's smile changed to that of pride. "I know who Mr. Boots is."

River looked at him in surprise. "You're sure you don't have an alias?"

Jack nodded. "Positive. This is the real him. His real name is Roan Staggem. Born on Agora. Parents were Lona and Marvis Staggam. When he was fifteen, both of his parents died of what the local authorities called mysterious circumstances. It was never actually discovered what killed them. He disappeared after that. Not a month later, Grant Segoma appears out of thin air, goes into the army for a few years, then the Time Academy by another alias that was destroyed. After that he worked for a few years for the Shadow Proclamation as a bounty hunter under the name Greg Samanto, then as a full-blown assassin-for-hire as the Cowboy - aka Mr. Boots," Jack finished, smiling proudly.

"Jack, that's fantastic," River said, impressed. "Where did you get all of this information?"

"Actually, when you know what to look for, it's not all that hard to find. All of his alias are just his name scrambled up. It's just a matter of separating _his_ names from the names of actual people. For that, I just figured out who appeared out of nowhere and who didn't."

"That easy?"

"Yeah, worried me too," Jack admitted. "But I guess if you're as good at killing as he is, you wouldn't be all that worried about people looking for you."

River shook her head. "No, I don't think its that."

"Then what do you think?"

"I think he left you breadcrumbs, Jack," River said.

"What?"

"Trust me," River said. "He wanted us to find that. I don't know why, but he did. Now, be a dear and see if you can find anything else out about his childhood for me, would you? Thank you," she said with a sweet smile, then turned off the screen before he had a chance to say goodbye.

Suddenly the earphone burst into a chorus of voices talking over each other in alarm and among them she heard Mr. Boots' voice. "Oh,_ now_ it's a party! Would you like some tea, Doctor?"

She didn't waste any time. She ran to the console and got the TARDIS going. There was no way in hell that assassin was going to get her Doctor.

* * *

><p>It took the Doctor much too long to notice the booted man occupying the Shadow Architect's seat. When it finally registered in his mind, he took a step back and withdrew his sonic screwdriver from the inside pocket of his jacket, pointing it at the man warningly. It was a useless gesture, seeing as sonic screwdrivers didn't function as weapons, and even if they did he wouldn't use it, but it somehow made him feel more comfortable to have it there.<p>

Mr. Boots raised his hands in submission, a huge, excited smile plastered to his face as he stared at the Doctor with what looked like pure awe and adoration.

Suddenly everyone started talking at once.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" the Shadow Architect exclaimed, surprised at the Doctor's alarm.

"Doctor, wait," Rory said, setting the cup of tea in his hand on the table.

"Where've you been?!" Amy asked in relief at the sight of him.

"Oh, _now_ it's a party!" Mr. Boots said happily. "Would you like some tea, Doctor?"

"Amy, Rory, get behind me," the Doctor said, his voice steady, his ancient eyes set on Mr. Boots.

"Doctor, he hasn't-" Rory tried to explain, but the Doctor interrupted him.

"Is that tea? Are you _drinking_ his tea?!" the Doctor asked.

"It's good tea," Amy said, taking a sip.

The Doctor stared for a moment, letting everything sink in. The tea, Mr. Boots' calm, nonthreatening demeanor, Amy and Rory both looking fairly calm, told him that he was missing something, but it was only after looking at Mr. Boots for a moment that he realized just what it was. Mr. Boots looked younger than he had last time, which could only mean one thing... this was the wrong Mr. Boots. Most likely one that hadn't met him yet, guessing by the look on his face.

With this in mind, the Doctor lowered the sonic screwdriver, then deposited it back into his jacket pocket. He fussed with his bow-tie for a second, then twiddled his fingers thoughtfully. "Well... it does look good, I suppose," he said, looking at the cup of tea in Amy's hand.

"Would you like a cup?" Mr. Boots asked politely.

The Doctor stared at him, trying to decide what he was up to. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I work here," Mr. Boots replied, taking a sip of his own tea, then held up a finger with an undecided expression. "Well, I'm employed here. I don't work here in the technical sense."

"Yes, and what are you still doing here, Mr. Samanto? I already paid you," the Shadow Architect stated, looking very irritated and more than a little confused by what had just occurred.

Mr. Boots blinked at her. "You did?"

The Shadow Architect glared at him impatiently.

The Doctor looked at her with fresh curiosity. "What did you pay him for?"

"Doctor, Shadow Proclamation business is none of your-"

"What did you pay him for?" the Doctor asked again and the authority behind the words actually got her to answer.

"He alerted us to Vahptilliorbus; the criminal hub I found _you_ on," she replied coldly.

The Doctor nodded, his suspicion confirmed. But why would Mr. Boots have any of this so close to one of his own previous timelines and risk a paradox? He gave Mr. Boots credit for being smart enough to know to avoid anything like that from happening, so why teeter on the edge of it like that? Perhaps it was somehow important that the Doctor was to meet him in the past first?

"Well, actually, I'm here on a regular bounty," Mr. Boots said, then pulled a piece of folded paper out of one of the pockets in his pants, handing it to her.

She opened it and looked at it, a frown on her face. "Very well. Go get your money," she said icily.

Mr. Boots smiled and nodded his thanks, standing. He then held out a hand to Rory. "Rory Pond, it was a pleasure to meet you finally. I look forward to seeing you again in the future."

Rory hesitated a moment, looking flustered, but finally shook the hand awkwardly.

Mr. Boots then held his hand out to Amy.

Amy took it with less hesitation, although she did have a bit of a scowl on her face, which only increased when Mr. Boots brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it with a cocky expression. She pulled back indignantly, but it only made him chuckle.

Finally he went to the Doctor, his smile growing even bigger. "Doctor, it was an absolute pleasure. Big fan," he said.

The Doctor smiled. "Too big, if you ask me."

They stared at each other for a long minute, almost sizing each other up.

Rory, Amy and the Shadow Architect were all quiet, watching the transaction.

Mr. Boots relented. "Again, Doctor. A pleasure. I look forward to seeing you again sometime." With that, he left walked past and left them listening to his boots _clink clink clink_ until the sound faded off.

The Doctor turned to Amy and Rory. "Were you two just having tea with my to-be-assassin?"

"Is that the weirdest thing we've done?" Rory asked.

"We have done stranger things," Amy agreed.

"What are you talking about, Doctor? How did you know him?" The Shadow Architect asked, annoyed at being lost from the conversation.

"He becomes an assassin later on and tries to kill me," the Doctor explained shortly. "Which is very likely why he employed himself with you so that later on he could call you and you would be more than willing to come to his aid and capture me and..." he stopped when suddenly it hit him. "Oh... well isn't that clever..."

"What? Doctor?" Amy asked.

The Doctor turned to the Shadow Architect severely. "Where are you keeping James?"

She glared at him. "Doctor, I am growing _very_ tired of you and your antics. You cannot waltz into _my_ Proclamation and do as you will. I will not tolerate it. I will no longer tolerate _you._"

"Not to be _rude_," the Doctor said his anger rising, "But without me, you wouldn't _have_ a Proclamation. Without me, hundreds of worlds would have ceased to exist. No, scratch that. The _universe_ would have ceased to exist. So sorry if I upset your perfect little world, but there are things going on that you do not fully understand and I absolutely do not have the time to explain to you. You and I may not get along, but we have the same goals in mind. I'm on your side. Now, please," he said, his voice now becoming softer. "I need to help my friend."

The Shadow Architect stared at him, into the ancient orbs of his eyes.

She relented.

"Follow me."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so the Shadow Architect and the Doctor are struggling to get along (as usual) but the Doctor being the Doctor is overcoming it somewhat. Please review and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them. :)<br>**


	23. Fixed Point

**Hello my fellow Whovians! I apologize profusely for the lateness of this update. Simply as an explanation and not an excuse, I've been preparing for the ACT test and for college and I'm still doing work, so... sorry. :/ I haven't had much time to write. But today I FINALLY got a break! So, without further ado, I present to you, Chapter... Next Chapter! XP  
><strong>

* * *

><p>James had grown quite sick of the Judoon's questioning very quickly. Eventually he grew tired of sitting as well, so opted to stand and pace, which made the Judoon look very alert and suspicious of him, but he couldn't have cared any less at that point.<p>

They had asked him simple questions at first, trying to determine just how much he had in common with the Doctor, and how much he differed. They asked him about numerous historical questions, most pertaining to the Doctor's timeline and determined that James knew nothing past the destruction of the Crucible.

After getting bored again, he sat back down and watched the Judoon putting information into a clear screen on the table. Having apparently finished, it closed the screen and looked at James. "The Shadow Architect will determine your fate within the hour."

"Yeah, about that," James started, "It may be too late now, but it's very important that you delete those files as soon as possible. See, if you catalog me, there's a strong chance I won't get to go hom-"

"Shadow Proclamation database is impenetrable. Your files will be read only by those with the highest clearance."

"Oh, really?" James said, then reached into the inside pocket of his coat, pulled out his sonic screwdriver that the TARDIS had made for him, and clicked the button. It whistled for a second and suddenly the screen on the table filled with all of James' newly acquired information popped up.

The Judoon eyes widened in surprise and anger, then looked at him in shock.

With an irritated scowl, James put it back into the inside pocket of his coat and crossed his arms. "I didn't need my sonic to do that, either."

The Judoon glowered at him, then stood from the table. "You will remain here until your fate is determined by the Shadow Architect."

James shooed him with his hand, "Alright, run off then to your mistress, Big Boy. I'll just wait here then," he said mockingly, completely unaware at how Donna-like he was being. It mostly came out when he was irritated.

The Judoon did not leave, but took a step closer, making James a little nervous, then held out its hand.

James looked at it. "What? Do you want a high-five for a job well done? Well, honestly, I think your interrogation skills could use a little work. Not worthy of a high-five, I'm afraid."

"The sonic device," the Judoon growled.

"Oh, that," James said, then dug a hand into his pocket. "Hmm... I think I lost it somewhere in there. Tell you what, why don't I save us both some time and trouble and just keep it in there?"

The Judoon remained, unfaltering and glaring daggers at him.

James shrugged. "Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you, though," he said unconcernedly, then stood up and began digging through his pockets, which (unbeknownst to the Judoon) were bigger on the inside, courtesy of the TARDIS, and began emptying them out onto the interrogation table.

The Judoon watched in annoyed fascination as James put all kinds of ridiculous and much-too-big-to-fit-in-his-pockets items onto the table, ranging from a pear to a hockey stick. Soon the table was covered in dozens of pens bits of trash and wrappers, a timey-wimey-detector he'd put together when he'd been unable to sleep, a brown paper sack of jelly babies, (of which he offered to the Judoon, who in turn did not appear to appreciate the gesture) a few eating utensils, a mug, a jar of mayonnaise, a banana, far too many pairs of glasses and quite a few small electronic devices that looked very much like garbage covered in wires and flashing buttons. Finally when he began trying to pull a golf club from his pocket, the Judoon lowered his hand, grabbed James' coat and pulled it roughly off of his shoulders.

"Oi!" James protested.

The Judoon folded the long brown coat over its arm, then turned and marched out of the room without another word.

James frowned. "I'd better get that back. I love that coat," he mumbled to himself, then looked at the table, still covered with the items he'd removed from his coat. His frown deepened, wondering to himself if he had room in the pockets of the dark blue suit jacket he was wearing for all of this. He had only just gotten bigger-on-the-inside pockets today, but somehow, in that short amount of time, he had managed to fill them to the brim.

He began the arduous task of putting everything back into whichever pockets on his jacket or jeans would fit them.

He had just deposited the last little electronic device (the function of which he could not remember) when he saw someone pass the door through the small little glass window placed in the door's center. He looked up, saw the figure pass, then watched them back up and lean back to look through the window. The face on the other side of the door grinned widely, then opened the door and peaked inside.

"Doctor?"

James froze, staring at him in confusion. How in the world...

Mr. Boots smiled excitedly, fully entering the room and shutting the door behind him. "Well, what luck! _Two_ Doctors in one day!" he exclaimed, crossing the room and holding his hand out to James.

James just sat there staring at him for a second as he let everything process. He'd called him Doctor, so he didn't know who exactly he was, which meant this must be a past version of Mr. Boots...

What?

What was a past Mr. Boots doing in the Shadow Proclamation? No, that wasn't quite the question. What was a past Mr. Boots doing wandering around the Shadow Proclamation like he owned the place?

"Um... hello," James muttered nervously, shaking his hand, then decided to add in order to play along, "Who are you?"

"Oh, nobody important, really," Mr. Boots said pleasantly. "But people around here call me Greg Samanto."

"The Doctor," James replied. "But it looks like you already knew that."

"I'm a very big fan, Doctor. Very big. Did you know the future you is here?"

James nodded. "We're actually here together."

This seemed to get Mr. Boots even more excited. "Really? Where are you headed? Anywhere in particular? Anything important happening? How long are you here for?"

James blinked at him. "Um... Yes. Not sure yet. Again, not sure yet. Not really. I'm not sure."

Mr. Boots stared at him for a minute, then laughed a bit. "Spoilers, eh?"

James stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

"Future you- or Eleventh you, if you'd rather; he's not telling you much?"

James paused, considered his answer, then shrugged. "Hard to say. I prefer to avoid paradoxes when I can help it."

Mr. Boots nodded. "Understandably," he said, then stared at James for a long moment, looking more pleased than when a child hears the ice-cream truck coming down the road. He shook his head. "I just can't believe my luck. The two of you, in the same place, at the same time."

James smiled awkwardly.

"Honestly, I thought I would have to wait for-" he stopped as his eyes fell onto the table top, "-a while... longer..."

James' brow furrowed, then followed his gaze down onto the table...

... where he'd accidentally left his own file open.

His eyes widened in alarm, and reach for his sonic screwdriver to close it, but grabbed at air. He had forgotten the Judoon had taken his coat. He contemplated just throwing the table, but by the time the thought had passed his mind, he looked up to see Mr. Boots looking at him with a new expression, one he couldn't quite identify.

"You're... not the Doctor?"

James swallowed. "Um... well, you see, it's a little complicated. There's really no reason to get upset, because I'm just like the Doctor and-"

"Then... who did I... who did I see?" Mr. Boots pondered to himself.

James shut up at that, his interest now piqued. "What?"

Mr. Boots' eyes were plastered to his open file, but they were unfocused, lost in thought.

"Mr- Um... Greg," James said. "What do you mean? Who did you see? When? Where?"

Mr. Boots didn't respond, but instead began pressing buttons on James' file and it took him a moment to realize that he was copying it.

"Greg, Greg, wait, you don't know what you're-" he started, trying to stop him.

Too late. Mr. Boots copied the file and sent it most likely to some place he could access it later, then stood and walked purposefully out of the room, shutting the door behind him, (which automatically locked it) the spurs of his boots clanking in a fast beat to his steps.

James felt panicked. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Thinking quickly, he stood from his seat and with a flourish of his fingers, accessed the computer screen on the table. He bypassed security easily and got into the mainframe of the Shadow Proclamation's network, then proceeded to make every single alarm go off, shutting and locking doors to ensure that Mr. Boots didn't get out with his file. Then he accessed the intercom.

"Doctor!"

* * *

><p>The Doctor, Rory, Amy and the Shadow Architect were hurriedly making their way down the corridors of the Shadow Proclamation when suddenly hallway was filled with the sound of an alarm going off and the doors on every side of them beeping as they locked. Not seconds later, the intercom came to life with static buzzing, followed by a very alarmed shout.<p>

"_Doctor!"_

"That's James!" Amy exclaimed.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began running down the halls, not waiting to make sure that everyone was keeping up with him.

Rory and Amy quickly ran after him, and after a brief hesitation, the Shadow Architect followed as well.

The Doctor soniced open doors that were in his path until he reached the interrogation room James was in. He burst through the door and found James sitting in one of the chairs, fingers flying feverishly over a computer screen on the table.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked in alarm, looking all through-out the room for Mr. Boots, but there was no sign of him.

"He has my file," James said, then slammed his hand down on the table angrily as he stared at the screen. "And I can't lock him down!"

The Doctor looked at the screen at the small infrared dot he was trying to stop. He locked doors, blocked entrances, but Mr. Boots seemed to know the layout quite well, and managed to escape rooms with ease.

The Doctor looked at James and put a hand on his shoulder.

James didn't respond, he just continued to try and stop him.

"James..." the Doctor said gently.

"I can change it."

"What should we do?" Rory asked uncertainly.

"Should we go get him?" Amy suggested.

"James."

James abruptly stopped typing and buried his head in his hands, running them up and through his hair in frustration.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Amy asked, looking between the two of them anxiously. At first, neither answered, but after a quite sigh, James responded in a quite murmur, head still buried in his hands.

"It's a fixed point."

"What?"

The Doctor sighed. "This was a fixed point," he answered. "It had to happen. We couldn't change it."

"I don't understand. Why?"

"Wait, _what_ was a fixed point?" Rory asked.

"Mr. Boots discovering who James is. That was his plan in doing this... well, _future_ Mr. Boots' plan, anyway."

"Oh..." Amy said.

"Which means I can't go back to Pete's world," James said.

"No. It means you _might_ not get to go back. There's a difference," the Doctor corrected him, then gestured for James to move, "Now, let's do a bit of damage control." With that, he pulled out his own sonic screwdriver, opened up James' file, and promptly deleted it. Then he returned the sonic screwdriver back into its pocket and turned. "Now, if you have a problem with that, Shadow Architect, maybe you should consider getting better security measure for your-" he stopped as he looked between Amy and Rory. "Where's the Shadow Architect?"

Both and Amy and Rory looked around them for her, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Why weren't you two watching her?" the Doctor asked accusingly as he stepped out of the room to look down the hallway.

"You didn't tell us to," Amy said defensively.

"It was implied," the Doctor said, then sighed. "Well, we've lost the Shadow Architect."

Suddenly the alarms went off again, this time followed by the calm, automated female voice announcing "Code Red" over and over.

The Doctor looked up, then at James.

James raised his hands innocently. "It wasn't me!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Can't we go _anywhere_ without setting off some alarm?" he complained, then pointed the sonic at the speaker above them, silencing it.

"We're not _that_ meddlesome, are we?" James asked.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Well, trouble does kind of follow you, Doctor," Rory said.

Suddenly beneath the blaring of the alarm, a soft electronic groaning noise began to over-shadow the alarm as, slowly but surely, the TARDIS appeared in the interrogation room.

"Speaking of trouble," the Doctor said with a grin, then clapped his hands happily as River opened the door of the TARDIS. "Doctor River Song! Glad you could make it! Come along Ponds and Smith! We've got a lot of work to do."

"I heard what happened," River said.

"Yes, and we still have time to fix it," the Doctor said, moving past her into the TARDIS. The Ponds followed after him, followed by James, who glanced at River, fully expecting her to ignore him or even glare, but she did neither. She looked right back. He wasn't exactly sure what was in that look, but she didn't give him much time to contemplate it, as she turned away from him to shut the doors, then head up to the console with the Doctor.

* * *

><p><strong>Alrighty, so it is revealed how Mr. Boots knew about James. One of you guessed it by yourself (Kudos! :D ) I will try to get to the next chapter as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises that it will be soon, unfortunately. :( Once again and as always, your reviews and critiques are always appreciated.<br>**


	24. A Good Man

**Alright! Hello again peoples! So this is basically an apology chapter for all of the times I took too long to update and for those chapters that take a while in the future. It's longer and I posted very quickly so here it is :) the long awaited showdown between James and River is here, along with more background on Mr. Boots' past! So please enjoy and review, comment or critique :) I look forward to hearing from you all! Anyone who knew how Agora was significant before I revealed it in this chapter is also awesome. :P  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Sweetie, we got news from Jack," River said as she walked around to the opposite end of the TARDIS console.<p>

The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Oh? What did he have to say?"

"He said he knows who Mr. Boots really is," she said, although the tone of her voice revealed that she was not convinced. "He said his real name is Roan Staggem. From Agora in the Centraxis system."

"Agora, really?" James asked. "We had a friend from that planet!"

"Oh, yes, Grant Markham! Impossible to forget Grant. Helped me save his planet from Cybermen. It was an agricultural planet at the time. May still be."

"Wait, wait, a hit-man from a farm planet?" Rory asked.

"Doesn't sound very probable, now does it?" the Doctor said, working on the computer above the console. "But look at this! He had other family. An aunt and uncle. Marvis' older sister and her husband took care of him for the short time that he was there. Mr. And Mrs. Marla and Howard Calla. Right then. Let's go pop in for a visit, eh?" the Doctor said, as he circled the TARDIS console, flipping switches and levers and pressing buttons and generally looking like he was playing a very bizarre arcade game.

River took a seat, Amy and Rory following her example. James, however, (being more or less the Doctor but not really) went to the other side of the console and helped the Doctor pilot her to the Centraxis system.

They arrived shortly in front of the Calla house and not seconds after the Doctor took his first steps out the door did the elderly Calla couple come shuffing out of their house, looking as though a carnival had just appeared in their tenderly cared-for garden.

Mr. Calla got to the Doctor first, cornering him in front of the TARDIS and preventing everyone else from getting out. He was grinning from ear-to-ear and was waving at his wife to hurry along.

"Hurry, hurry, Marla! It's the Doctor! Do you see? It's really him! Quick!" the old man said excitedly, then turned and beamed at the Doctor, taking his hand and shaking it rigorously. "Oh, Doctor, it is good to finally see you! We were afraid you would never come!"

The Doctor, looking quite perplexed at this point, could do little but try to pry his hand out of the old man's surprisingly strong grip. "Yes... um, well, I get busy sometimes. And hello to you, too. You've been expecting me?"

Mrs. Calla finally made her way to the Doctor, smiling with relief at him. "Oh, yes. Quite a while now. Almost twenty years now! Come in, please, all of you," she said, addressing the four people peaking out of the TARDIS door, "I'll put on a pot of tea."

"Sounds lovely! Oh, these are my friends, Rory and Amy Pond right there in the front, and then the two in the back are Doctor River Song and Doctor James Smith. He's James Smith and she's River Song, in case you got confused. Now, how about that tea?"

Mrs. Calla beamed, linked arms with the Doctor, and began to slowly lead him inside, her old bones not allowing her to get very far very quickly, but the Doctor seemed patient enough with this, just smiling at her as they walked inside.

Their house was old, that was evident just by looking at it. And rustic. There was not a single electronic in sight and every piece of furniture and decoration appeared to be handmade, and quite exquisite. The Doctor eyed a rather fine wooden clock on the mantle above the fireplace, inspecting it closely.

"Ah, you've picked out my favorite piece of work, Doctor," Mr. Calla said, wearily plopping himself down on a worn recliner.

"You made this?" the Doctor asked. "It's quite good."

"Thank you," Mr. Calla said gratefully, watching as everyone took a seat on one of the three living room sofas, which sat in front of a beautiful brick fireplace.

"Oh, Howard, don't sit down yet!" Mrs. Calla called from the kitchen as she began putting a kettle over an open fire, preparing the tea for her guests. "Go get the post cards and pictures!"

Mr. Calla sighed tiredly, then pushed himself up off of his recliner, groaning a little as his old joints protested. Fully standing, he then left the room, disappearing into a hallway. After a few minutes, he returned carrying a small box, cradling it to his chest lovingly. He walked straight up to the Doctor and handed him the box.

Mrs. Calla ran into the room as fast as her feeble legs could carry her, looking as excited as ever. "Doctor, will you sign those for us, please?"

"It would please our nephew greatly," Mr. Calla added, looking from the Doctor to the box.

"Yes, your nephew, Roan Staggem, am I right?"

"That's him. Have you seen him?" Mr. Calla asked, the tone of his voice raising with worry.

The Doctor began sorting through the box of papers and post cards, ignoring the pencil that had been set on the top so that he could sign them. "Yes, I have. That's why I'm here, Mr. Calla. I've got some questions for you, so I'll tell you what, while I sign this... trash... you can answer my questions, alright? Good!" he said, then plopped himself down in between Rory and Amy on the middle couch, effectively squishing all three of them uncomfortably together. He then pulled out the pencil and began writing his name on the various child-drawings, pictures, little wooden TARDIS carvings, and post cards ranging from all over the universe, the dates on each varying drastically from one another.

"So, tell me, Mr. Calla, what happened to Roan's parents?"

Mr. Calla, who had resumed his seat on the recliner, looked up at him and froze and Mrs. Calla, who was just coming into the room carrying a tray with several cups of tea, stopped as well, swallowing.

The Doctor, who had begun busying himself with the autographs, looked up at the sudden silence, glanced around the room confusedly, then looked at River. "Was that a bit harsh?"

River smiled. "A bit, sweetie. Next time, a little decorum will go over nicely."

"Oh. Well, I still want to know," the Doctor said.

Mr. Calla looked down at the floor. "Honestly, Doctor... we're not sure."

Mrs. Calla, looking mournful, handed everyone a cup of tea, then went into the kitchen to grab herself a chair. James, seeing this, stood from his seat across from Mr. Calla, grabbed one of the kitchen chairs, and quietly offered his old seat to her. She smiled gratefully and both of them settled into the living room silently.

"Surely you know something," the Doctor said. "Any little detail would help."

Mr. Calla frowned deeply. "They were in the middle of a crowded street, Doctor. We were going to meet them for dinner... I saw it with my own two eyes," he said, his old eyes suddenly becoming haunted, "They were standing right there, and then suddenly they were gone. Just a bit of dust where they had been standing."

"It was awful," Mrs. Calla muttered, tears coming to her eyes. "No one knew what happened. There must have been dozens of people out, but no one saw anything."

Mr. Calla cleared his throat and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Well... Roan said he did."

"What did he see?" Amy asked, sitting up in her, eyes focused on Mr. Calla as she listened intently.

Mr. Calla rubbed his eyes as though it were difficult to say. "He said he saw an alien."

"Well, that narrows it down to pretty much anything in the universe. I need more than that. What kind of alien?" the Doctor asked impatiently, already halfway down with the box he had been given.

"He said it was wrinkled, with deep-set eyes and no mouth. He said that there was a flash of blue light... and his parents disintegrated."

"Did you believe him?"

Mr. Calla hesitated. "I... I don't really know _what_ I believed, or still believe, about that day," he answered, watching the Doctor as he pulled out one of the post cards and stared at it.

"We just knew that he was mourning; same as us," Mrs. Calla said, "He was given to us in the will, so we brought him here." She stopped, looking down sadly. "He didn't stay for very long. Left within a year."

"Can I see his room, Mrs. Calla?" James asked.

Mrs. Calla looked at him, stared for a second, as though she hadn't noticed him earlier (likely she hadn't given the couple had been focused so intently on the Doctor).

"Are you both-" she started.

"Oh, no, I'm Doctor 2.0. Half Doctor, really. Bit hard to explain, but definitely not the Doctor. Moving on. Can I see it?"

Mrs. Calla looked incredibly confused, but gave a short nod.

"I'd like to have a look as well, if that's alright with you, Mrs. Calla," River said.

James glanced at her suspiciously, but didn't protest.

"Of course," Mrs. Calla said, leading the two of them out and down the hall.

Mr. Calla watched them leave, then looked at the Doctor, who was still examining the same postcard as he had been earlier.

"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asked, noticing him as well.

"Mr. Calla, are any of these post cards recent?" the Doctor asked.

"Very," Mr. Calla replied. "Roan sends them to us every few weeks. It's how we know he's alive out there somewhere."

"How recently did you get this one?" the Doctor asked, handing Mr. Calla the postcard. He in turn examined it, then smiled, reminiscent, then handed it back to him. "This one is much older. He sent it to us two or three years after he left. Why? Is it significant?"

"Most definitely," the Doctor replied, taking it and looking at it again with a look of dread. "May I borrow this?"

Mr. Calla nodded his consent.

"What is it, Doctor?" Amy asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a good look at it, but the Doctor quickly folded turned it and put it into his pocket beside the sonic screwdriver. He looked at her and smiled.

"It's nothing. I'll tell you later," the Doctor said reassuringly, patting her thigh.

She frowned at him. "Why won't you let me see it?"

"It's not important," the Doctor said dismissively, then leaned forward towards Mr. Calla, setting the box aside. "Now, Mr. Calla, may I ask what Mr. And Mrs. Staggem did for a living?"

Mr. Calla shrugged. "We were never quite sure. They traveled a lot."

"Traveled where?"

"Off-planet," Mr. Calla answered. "When they did, Roan would come stay with us. Sometimes only one of them would leave, so Roan could stay home. Marla and I asked them numerous times what their work was and even asked them to stay... for Roan's sake. But they wouldn't listen."

"Do you have a picture of either of them by chance? I can't seem to find one anywhere," the Doctor said.

Mr. Calla immediately shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Whatever their work entailed, they weren't allowed to take photographs."

The Doctor nodded. That probably explained why there weren't pictures of Mr. Boots either. No reason to take a picture if none of the rest of his family would. The Doctor drummed the pencil against his chin, letting all of the pieces fall together in his mind. "Very interesting."

* * *

><p>River and James followed Mrs. Calla to the very back room, stepping inside as she opened the door for them. She stood in the doorway as they both looked around.<p>

James' brow raised in surprise. Considering the rest of the house, finding all of the electronics scattered around the room was an unexpected find. Tiny blinking red, green, blue and yellow lights were scattered over the room amongst the various piles of what on first glance might look like junk; to James it was virtually a treasure trove of electronic goodies.

He crossed the room, picking up several and examining them. He began to reach into his pocket to scan them with his sonic screwdriver, then stopped, remembering that they had been forced to leave it at the Shadow Proclamation. Frowning deeply with regret (as he had really loved and missed that coat), he decided to just press buttons until he figured out what did what.

"He was a genius," Mrs. Calla said. "Built everything you see from scratch. Not much in the way of technology here."

"I know, I've been here before," James said distractedly as he went from a rudimentary gravitron to preliminary sketches, diagrams and blueprints for a teleport, the design of which looked similar to a Vortex Manipulator, if a little bulkier. "This is all very advanced stuff, here."

"Very," River said, looking through a draw filled with little gadgets and gizmos, all of which were fully functional. "How long have these all been running?"

"Since Roan left. About twenty years," Mrs. Calla said.

"That's impressive," River commented, looking at some of the other items and decorations in the room. On one wall were dozens of cut-out photos the Doctor's various faces, along with a few child-hood drawings of the TARDIS, the Doctor and even his companions. Along with these were his own designs and blueprints for the TARDIS and sonic screwdriver, although all of them were poor and only theoretical. On the windowsill beside the bed was a small, wooden TARDIS replica, which had likely been carved by his uncle. She looked at these with a mixed feelings. Mr. Boots had been a very big fan of the Doctor in his youth (one who had done his research) ... so what had changed?

"What energy source was he using?" James asked.

Mrs. Calla shrugged. "I don't know. All of this... science stuff was beyond Howard and me."

"Howard and I," James corrected, though his focus remained on the room.

River rolled up a piece of paper and smacked him on the head with it.

James flinched in surprise. "Ow! Oi!"

"Be nice," River said, then smiled at Mrs. Calla.

Mrs. Calla smiled forgivingly, then suddenly looked very alarmed. "Oh, dear me, I forgot the cookies! Please, help yourselves to continue looking around," she said, then scooted off down the hall.

River watched her go, then looked over at James, who had gotten down on all fours to look under the bed.

"Oh, hello," he said, then reached beneath, pulling open a loosened floor board. "What have we here?" Slowly, he pulled out a metal box, then sat and opened it open.

"What's in it?" River asked, watching him sort through it.

He looked up at her, then blinked, eyes suddenly unfocused. "Um... I don't... remember." He looked down at the box again, then up at River, the same, lost expression coming over his face every time he looked at the box.

"James, look inside again, and without looking away, describe what you see."

James nodded, looked down at the box again. "I see a Silence. Walking outside in the Calla's garden. There are more pictures here. Now, let's see, let's see, what have you got to tell me?" he said, going through each and describing them. All of them were just pictures of Silence walking in different areas, standing in the shadows and even talking to people as they weaved their subconscious orders to the people's psyches, except for one. When James got to it, James froze at the sight of it.

"What is it?" River asked.

"Um... the last picture. It's a dead Silence. In this room, right where I'm sitting. It was killed, um, pretty brutally."

"How so?"

"Well, there's a gunshot wound in its head and its been stabbed quite a few times in the chest and abdomen. I haven't seen anything this... malicious, in a very long time."

"Shot and stabbed?"

"Looks like it. And he probably used this knife and gun," he said, taking out the two objects and handing them to River. Once he looked away from the box, the same look came over his eyes again and he blinked a few times at the two objects in his hands. "Did those come from the box?"

River nodded, taking them from him and examining them. "I told you not to look away from the box, dear."- James just rolled his eyes -"This is a homemade plasma gun. This knife is hand-crafted, too. Probably a gift from his uncle," River said, then handed the weapons back to James, who put them back in the metal box. "Put that box in your pocket, James."

"Yes, I've got it, thank you. I'm a big boy, in case you hadn't noticed," he groused irritably, closing it, then depositing it into his suit jacket pocket (which was also bigger on the inside). He then stood, his expression immediately switching from annoyed to excited, scratching his ear as he thought. "Alright, so we have pictures of Silence- including a dead one that was very likely killed by Mr. Boots in this very room- and pair of missing or dead parents whose son is a giant fan of the Doctor. Conclusion? No idea," he said, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets and swaying on his heels as he scanned over the room one last time with his eyes.

River watched him, watched his mannerisms that were so Doctor, his eyes that were practically alight with child-like excitement. His eyes were the eyes of one who was ancient, and yet they glinted with the curious excitement of a child.

"James..."

James looked at her, his smile slowly fading and now looking a little nervous. "What?"

River wasted no time in getting to her point, looking at him severely. "Why did you come here?

James blinked at her in confusion. "What are you-"

"You're smart, James. I know because you are- more or less- the Doctor. You had to have known Mr. Boots was up to no good when he came for you, so why would you leave with him?"

"I didn't-"

"Don't," she snapped, raising a finger to him. "_Don't_ lie to me. The Doctor may believe that you were the victim of a clever plot, but I'm not that easy. You're too smart for a con that simple. I know you and if I'm going to help you get back-"

At those words, James' confused expression changed abruptly again to one of anger and he interrupted her with a snap. "No. No, you _don't_ know me. I'm _not_ your Doctor. I never was. And don't you pretend for one second that you're my ally," he said, taking an intimidating step closer to her, though she did not budge. He leaned in close so that they were face to face, so that she could see his anger, "I _know_ what you think of me, River Song. I know that you've been struggling with whether or not to dispose of me when the Doctor isn't looking," he said, standing up to his full height and leaning in close, his tone scathing and vindictive. "Because you're not just an archeologist. I read the Doctor's journal. I know what you are. I know you would _kill_ if you thought the Doctor was in danger. So don't. In fact, why don't we meet each halfway and stop lying to each other? Go ahead, River. Tell me what you think of me," he said, opening his arms in a have-at-me gesture.

River's resolve did not falter, not did she seem in the least bit frightened or alarmed at his rage, as would most others. She stood tall as she looked him straight in the eye and said, "Fine. I don't trust you. I think you knew exactly what was going to happen when you came over here, and you did it anyway. I think all of those prophecies about the right hand of the Doctor are true, and they're talking about you. I think you're dangerous; too dangerous to be left alone to your own devices. And _most_ importantly," she said severely, her eyes cutting and dangerous, "I think your endgame could get the Doctor killed. And that, James, puts you and I at odds."

James glared at her. Oh, the irony of it. _He _would be the death of the Doctor? _He_ wasn't the one who was slowly breaking his hearts, day after day.

He nodded at her, having heard exactly what he had expected, although he wasn't sure what prophecies she was talking about. "I thought so. Now, let me be clear, River Song; I may not be the Doctor, I may have done a _terrible, unforgivable_ thing, but I'll be damned if my intentions are questioned."

"I'm not questioning your intentions, James," River said. "I'm questioning _you_. What you are. Your instincts and emotions. You're vengeful and angry. Don't believe me? Have a look in the mirror."

James glowered at her, but felt his own anger burning from within his belly, and took a few deep breaths, until he felt himself calming down. He then looked at her evenly. "I don't know why you think I had some alterior motives for coming here, River," he said, his voice slowly becoming calmer. "Because it wasn't easy to come here, to face the Doctor, who hated me as much or maybe even more than you do. You think he's forgiven me? Well, that's easy enough for you to believe. He's not watching your every move. He's not waiting for you to mess up. Amy and Rory are the only people that don't make me feel like any second i'm going to go on a murder spree. So please, spare me the extra contempt. I'm more than capable of hating and fearing myself for the both of us," he said, and his voice faltered at these last words and he swallowed, closing his eyes in shame. His hearts suddenly hurt and he found himself thinking about Rose and the Tyler's; somehow or another, he had disappointed all of them, had . He shouldn't feel so surprised that River distrusted him and even hated him. Everything he had done as the Doctor, everything he had done after that, the Tyler's expecting him to be someone he wasn't, the Doctor hating and distrusting him, and now River, it shouldn't come as such a painful discover.

River stared at him for a long time and James again couldn't read her. It didn't really matter, anyway. Swallowing again and licking his lips, he turned to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

He stopped, not looking at her. "Please let go."

"Why did you leave?" she asked again.

His hearts ached even more and he dropped his head in shame. "Because... because you're right. I'm angry and I don't know why and I'm... I'm lost... and if anyone could forgive me for what I've done... what I am... surely the Doctor would. If he can't... then how can I?"

River looked at him severely, just staring at him, though he would not return her gaze.

"River, please let go of my arm," he asked, barely above a whisper.

She didn't let go, but instead grabbed his other arm and turned him around slowly. "James. Listen to me," she said.

He looked at her, nervously, expecting another attack on him. Expecting her to tell him to go back and never return. Anything but what she said.

"I _do_ know you. I just wasn't sure yet. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I needed to be sure."

"Sure of what?"

"That you weren't the Valeyard."

"That's why you've been so cold to me?"

She nodded. "And I'm sorry, but I needed to know. For the Doctor's sake. There _are_ prophecies that sound like they might be talking about you, but talking to you now, being able to reason with you despite your anger, it gives me confidence that they aren't," she said, then smiled at him. "Because you're a good man. Like the Doctor."

He smiled.

"Deny it all you want, but you're a good man," she said, smiling playfully. "Now, come on. Let's go tell your father what we found."

James grimaced in repulse. "Oh, PLEASE don't call him my father!" he pleaded, and followed behind her back to the living room, suddenly feeling a little lighter.


	25. Silence In Driode

**I apologize for the ridiculous waiting period between chapters. I am currently preparing to head off for college in January, and obviously that comes as a priority over my fanfiction, but I have been writing any chance I get. All the rest of the chapters to come are all planned out, I just need to write them, so I'm sorry if it takes a while to update and I appreciate your patience.  
><strong>

**I also am just FLABBERGASTED at all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts I've received! It's such an honor and it makes me so happy! 4 more reviews until I hit 100 REVIEWS! A first for me! The 100th review can expect MY ETERNAL GRATITUDE! XP Also, after I am finished with this story, I will be taking a break from FF to get into the groove of college, but after that, I'd like to write another story or two. So, as a reward to the 100th reviewer, they get to pick what one of those stories will be. :) They can pick any genre, character, etc.  
><strong>

**Anyway, long monologue over, please enjoy this next update. :D  
><strong>

* * *

><p>When River and James returned to the sitting room, the Doctor was looking at them from where he sat leaned back, leg crossed over the over and fingers laced over his knees. His lips were slightly pursed in silent contemplation.<p>

James knew immediately that he knew what had just happened; he had felt the Doctor's presence subconsciously through-out he and River's argument, just a quiet observer in the background. James looked at him for a second, swallowed, feeling suddenly very guilty.

The Doctor smiled at him, then straightened his bow-tie.

He uncrossed his legs, slapped his thighs and stood up. "Well, Mr. And Mrs. Calla, it has been pleasant and much more informative than I was expecting, but I think it's about time we were on our way. We've got a lot to get done."

"Are you going to find my nephew?" Mrs. Calla asked hopefully.

"Yes." The Doctor stood, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. "First, I think, I'd like to have a look at the spot Roan's parents disappeared."

Mr. Calla nodded. "It's in the center of town. It's a short walk down the road from here."

The Doctor nodded and headed towards the door. "Oh, good. I could use the chance to stretch my legs a bit. Well, come along, Ponds! And Smith! And Song!" he said, then paused thoughtfully. "That's not nearly as catchy. I'll not say that anymore."

With that, the group left the Calla's house and started their walk down the road towards town, which could be seen fairly well in the distance past the interspersed patches of trees.

The town itself (a quaint place called Driode) was devoid of any and all electronic and mechanical devices. For the most part, the whole of Agora was a Luddite culture and Driode was no different. The highest form of technology that the Doctor could spot upon entering the center of town was the clock tower facing the northern point of town square for all to see. Its tower cast a long, dark shadow over the east of the town as the sun started to set.

Everything looked akin to an Amish Earth settlement, although there were fewer beards and the clothing (including for the women) was more practical than overly-formal.

The Doctor stood in front of a beautifully crafted fountain which stood as the centerpiece of the town and looked around at the various shops and buildings in the surrounding area. Everyone seemed to be eyeing them with a mixture of suspicion and interest.

"What now, Doctor?" Amy asked, glancing around with a faintly disapproving look.

"Don't like the town?" River asked her.

"No. I just don't see why you'd want to push a plow all day if you could get a machine to do it for you," Amy said.

"Well, you can hardly blame them. They had a bad experience with a Cyberman invasion in the past," the Doctor said, then peered around at the shops and buildings, eyes squinted in search. Eventually his gaze fell upon two elderly women sitting on a porch, idly chatting away to each other.

The Doctor walked purposefully over to them, interrupting their conversation. "Hello there, ladies. Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor," he said, then paused thoughtfully. "Wait... I did that wrong. I haven't met you yet. Let's meet for the first time. What's your name?"

The two women blinked at him, surprised and perplexed at the interruption, but as he offered his hand and a friendly smile, they both seemed to relax and shook his hand in turn, introducing themselves.

"I'm Vara," the first and oldest of the two said.

"I'm Sandra," the second said.

The Doctor beamed at them. "Hello. Good to meet you. I've got a question for the two of you. Are either of you familiar with the Staggems?"

The two women nodded immediately.

"Oh, yes, I remember them. A very private family."

Sandra nodded in agreement. "Strange people."

"Strange how?"

"Went off-world quite often. That's not terribly usual here on Agora," Vara said. "Strangers aren't terribly common here, either. Where are you from exactly?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "Everywhere. Did you ever meet any of these off-worlders?"

"No. No one ever saw them. But we'd see their ship come and go."

"It's really better that way," Sandra said. "Folk here on Agora never liked it when that ship showed up. And by the looks of it, people are a little displeased that you're here, too." She gestured at some glaring passersby.

"Are we that obvious?" River asked, knowing the answer full well. She was likely the one person on Agora with a weapon holstered on her thigh.

"This is a small town," Vara said. "Everyone knows each other here."

"What can you tell me about their disappearance?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, well, that was a strange day, indeed," Vara said.

Sandra nodded in agreement. "They had just gotten back from... wherever they'd been off to. They were taking their son out- poor boy never got out much- they were standing right over there in front of the clock tower when suddenly... _poof_! Just gone. Like they'd never been there. The boy- Roan, was his name- was screaming bloody murder about a monster or alien."

"Did you believe him?" River asked.

Vara and Shana looked at each other. "Well... no," Shana was the first to say. "No one saw anything. And Vara was looking right at them."

Vara nodded, confirming her companion's statement. "I was. They just disappeared from the spot. It was the strangest thing..."

While River and the Doctor continued to question the elderly women about things he really already knew the answer to, but was just looking for confirmation, James was doing a bit of his own investigating.

He'd wandered around a bit, feeling like something was not quite right. Amy and Rory followed him, for lack of anything better to do.

"What is it, James?" Amy asked.

James shook his head uncertainly. "There's a... smell..."

Rory sniffed. "I smell bread."

James shook his head in the negative. "No, it's not that," he said, sniffing at the air as he turned down a street, following the unusual scent. It smelled burnt and very much foreign. No sort of smell that a town like Driode should be producing.

He led them down several streets, disregarding everything else but that smelled that was vaguely familiar.

"Smells like... smoke?" Amy said, also joining in on the sniffing fest. "Or something burned?"

"Almost," James said, going down a tight alleyway.

Rory glanced behind them, realizing they had strayed quite a ways from town square. He turned back to alert them of this, only to find that they had both stopped and were looking at him with alarmed expressions.

"...What?"

"You said you saw something," James said.

Rory blinked at him. "No, I- ... oh no."

"We need to tell-" Amy began.

"He knows," James interrupted. "We need to get back to the TARDIS. River and the Doctor will meet us there." He grabbed Amy's hand, who in turn grabbed Rory's, and the 3 of them moved forward -not daring to go back the way they'd come-.

James grimaced when he realized just how far his nose had led him. He glanced back at the Ponds in tow behind him. He needed to get them back to the TARDIS, or at least to town square where they were less likely to run into the Silents now apparently trailing them, but he'd gotten a bit turned around.

He looked at the shadows that were quickly growing as the sun made its decent behind the trees. Alright, he knew where north was and the TARDIS was parked at the Calla's house ten minutes to the west of Driode. Good, he was on the right track. Now he just-

The three of them stopped in their tracks as a tall, thin, Silent stepped in their path, effectively blocking their exit out of the alley they had just entered. The smell of smoke became stronger than before and James realized that the Silence must have just killed someone.

James took a step back, his arm moving in front of Amy and Rory protectively. He looked behind them, only to find that another Silent had blocked their path back. He frowned deeply. He reached for his sonic in his pocket, but remembered his jacket (which had contained his sonic) was missing still. His frowned deepened further.

"Oh, this is bad," Rory said, gulping nervously.

"What do we do?" Amy asked.

James swallowed as the cogs in his brain went into overdrive, eyes darting around for a means of escape. "Just... let me think." There was a window slightly behind them on the building to their left, but that would not be an easy route. The Silence were much too close for them to quickly open and climb through the window before they reached them. In other words, he had no plan and no way to get Amy and Rory out of this safely.

After a few seconds of staring nervously at the two Silents blocking their path, a slowly growing _clink clink clink_ made what had been a bad situation a _very_ bad situation as Mr. Boots stepped into view, smiling pleasantly. His eyes fell immediately on James.

"Well, if it isn't Smith and the Ponds," he said, grinning at them. "Wasn't expecting you two, but I suppose three is better than one, eh?"

James swallowed.

_Doctor._

* * *

><p>The Doctor had really found out all he needed to know, most everything falling into place in his mind. There was just one thing he didn't understand and that would have to be answered by Mr. Boots himself.<p>

"Well, thank you very much ladies for all of your-"

"Doctor... my parents and James are gone," River said suddenly, looking behind her with alarm.

The Doctor stopped, turned to look. "_Why_ do they _always_ run off? You'd think James at least would know better!" He stalked off to the last place he'd seen them, when a smell caught his attention. He sniffed the air a bit. Something burning? Or burnt.

_Doctor, the Silence... they're here._ James' voice echoed in his mind.

The Doctor's expression hardened. _Get to the TARDIS right now. Are Amy and Rory with you?_

_Yes._

_We'll meet you there._ The Doctor looked at River, who was staring at him.

"What is it?"

"Is everything alright?' Vara asked.

The Doctor smiled reassuringly at her. "Quite fine. But I'd go home if I were you. River, we should be going now."

River nodded understandingly, thanking the two women for their help before getting out of ear-shot of them to talk to the Doctor.

"The Silence are here," the Doctor explained. "We need to go find James and the Ponds."

"The Silence? What are they doing here?"

"If I were to guess?" The Doctor asked. "They're most likely here with Mr. Boots."

River's hand went to her gun. "Where are they?"

"This way," the Doctor said, heading off in the direction James, Amy and Rory had gone. He started running, River following close behind him.

"Sweetie, you should really let the one with the gun go first," she said to him, trying to surpass him, but the Doctor was quite the runner, and she just couldn't manage to get a leg up on him.

"Yes, let my trigger-happy wife go first. Brilliant idea," the Doctor said sarcastically. "Why I let you carry that thing around is a mystery to even me."

"Oh, you know you love it," River said seductively. "Besides, how else would I get your attention?"

The Doctor smiled back at her, then grabbed her hand, pulling her up to run beside him.

They were about to turn a corner when suddenly a shot fired out of nowhere, hitting the building beside them just in front of the Doctor's face, making him flinch back in surprise, pulling River with him to duck behind the wall of the building next to them.

River had her gun out faster than the Doctor could blink, and was angling herself at the wall so that she could return fire.

The Doctor grabbed the gun and River's hands so that the gun pointed down to the ground.

"No! Don't. They're not trying to kill us. That was a warning shot," the Doctor said swiftly.

"I don't care. They shot at _my_ Doctor," River said defiantly.

"They're not here for me, River," the Doctor hissed. "We need to get to the TARDIS. There's no way we can get to the others on foot."

"Doctor! Why don't you just give yourself up to the Cowboy, eh?" a voice shouted from behind a building next to theirs. "It'd save your friend a hell of a lot of trouble!"

The Doctor laughed. "You really don't know what's going on, do you?" he shouted back. "Hasn't told you anything, has he? Which one of you am I talking to?"

"This is Nigh, Doctor. Thomas and Freeman are on your other side."

"Good to know," the Doctor said.

"Another warning, I think," River observed.

The Doctor nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Thomas and Freeman were more the quiet, follow-orders of the four, he had noted. Never said much. Nigh and Cambell appeared to be more willing to think on their own, so he decided to address him.

"What happened to Cambell?"

"Still recovering, unfortunately enough for him. Had to leave him at base," Nigh replied. "That was some nasty work you did, Doctor."

"Mostly an accident," the Doctor said. "He was a bit closer than I thought he'd be. So, Nigh, let me ask you a question."

"Shoot. Oooh, bad choice of words," Nigh said maliciously.

The Doctor chuckled mildly. "What exactly did Mr. Boots -or the Cowboy, if that's what you're going to insist on calling him- tell you was going to happen here? He was going to kill me for a hefty price and you'd get a portion of the earnings?"

"Somethin' like that," Nigh replied.

"Well, Nigh, if he's as good as he says, why am I not dead?"

"Were you just too stupid to notice all of the opportunities he had to kill him and missed?" River added.

"And why is he so obsessed with James? Hm? Did he tell you about _that_ part of the plan?" the Doctor asked.

Nigh was quiet, but only for a few seconds. "Nice try, getting us to turn against him, Doc. But that's not going to save you."

"Nigh, I'm not in the _least_ bit worried. You lot are more of a nuisance than an actual threat-"

Another shot fired, chipping the brick of the wall he hid behind, just above his shoulder. The Doctor jumped in surprise, then leaned over to yell at him again. "You missed! You're not going to shoot me, Nigh! I'm not your kill, remember? Not like you could hit me, anyway."

"Alright, that's it," Nigh growled angrily, stepping out from his hiding place.

River was on him in seconds. She leaned out of the protective of the building and aimed. Nigh saw her just in time to duck behind his building again, but it gave them just the opportunity they needed to turn around and start running again.

River started for town square, but the Doctor grabbed her by the arm, weaving through the buildings so as to go around it.

"Doctor, you're taking the long way," River informed him.

"Yes, and avoiding unnecessary civilian casualties. They're still chasing us," the Doctor replied, quickening his pace as a shot zoomed past him. "Missed again!"

He could three people in pursuit. Among them Nigh was growling in apparent frustration.

River glanced back and smiled. "Oh, you are good. I didn't think such an obvious attempt to plant seeds of dissension would work on him..."

"Just because he's smarter than the other two doesn't make him smart," the Doctor said with a smug grin. "He's still just a moronic brute!" He yelled the last sentence so that the three guns in pursuit could hear him.

_Doctor..._ James voice entered his mind and it made his spirits drop instantly. _I'm sorry._

_James? What's happened? James!_

* * *

><p><strong>And welcome back Mr. Boots! The present Mr. Boots has been absent for quite a few chapters, so I thought he deserved a hello. ^_^ I apologize if anyone knows more about Agora than I do. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of the original Doctor Who series, and only learned about this planet via the TARDISwiki ( . com) so I'm sorry if I've misinterpreted what I read there.<br>**

**Anyhoozle. Hope you enjoyed and I will update as soon as I possibly can. :)  
><strong>


	26. A Slight Detour

**Hello once again readers! Picking up right where we left off, we're back to James and the Ponds. I haven't really got much to say until the end of this chapter, but let's just say that I will surprise a lot of you, and for the rest of you, well, you've waited long enough I think. :) So please enjoy this update (which is miraculously on time! :D )  
><strong>

* * *

><p>James' mind was working overtime. He needed to get them out of there <em>now<em>. For some reason, Mr. Boots showed no indication to want to harm him, but Rory and Amy were a different matter. He wasn't sure what he would do with them.

"Oh... hello," James said, looking between Mr. Boots and the large Silent standing beside him. "You know, I just saw you only a few hours ago... weeell, hours for me, but for you it was a very long time ago."

"Yes, I know," Mr. Boots said. "Thirteen years. But enough about the past. Let's talk about the future, shall we?" he said, his amber eyes falling on Amy and Rory.

James took a subconscious step in front of them, raising his hands in a submissive gesture and offering an awkward smile, hoping to defuse the situation as much as he could. "Oh, wait, wait, you don't really want to take them, do you? They'd just be a hassle."

Mr. Boots arched a brow at him, idly toying with his blaster. "Is that so?"

"Oh, absolutely. They're both like toddlers in their terrible twos. Terribly fussy. Whiny. Perpetually hyper. Trust me, you'd save yourself a lot of trouble if you just left them here."

"We're not leaving you, James," Amy said defiantly, attempting to take a step forward, but James kept himself in front of her.

He pointed his thumb at her. "See? There's the whiny bit."

"Amusing, but pointless," Mr. Boots said darkly, then raised his gun, pointing it at Rory's head. "Now unless you'd like to see Rory die for the -what would it be now- third time? I'd suggest you cooperate."

James' hands rose even higher and he positioned himself in between the gun and Rory. "Wait, wait, wait, stop. Take me, do what you want with me, just leave them out of this. This has nothing to do with them."

"He's not going anywhere," Amy said, glaring daggers at Mr. Boots, just daring him to make a move.

"So you _want_ me to take you prisoner, then?" Mr. Boots asked with an amused smirk.

"No!" James said, then looked at Amy severely. "No. Amy, stop helping."

"James, we don't know what he wants with you," Rory said. "We can't just let him-"

"This isn't about what you _can_ and _can't_ do," James said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're very much cornered and there's no point in taking both of you down with me," James said, then turned to address the hit-man, who appeared to be content for the moment to watch them consider their options, "Now, please, let them leave."

Mr. Boots stared at him thoughtfully, a small smile on the corner of his lips, as though everything that was happening were amusing to him. Finally, after several seconds, he said, "Give me a reason."

James stared at him for a few seconds before he realized he was _actually_ giving him the opportunity to earn Amy and Rory's freedom; an opportunity he had no intention of wasting. He considered his answer carefully before replying. "Because you could've involved them at any time you wanted, but you didn't. They're not part of the plan."

Mr. Boots' smile widened, then gestured James to come forward with his gun-free hand. "Come here."

"Don't, James," Amy said, her hand unconsciously grabbing his arm.

James hesitated. "Give me your word that you will let them go."

Mr. Boots didn't relent, just stared at him expectantly.

"James-" Rory started.

"Once we're gone, you two go to the TARDIS," James said, gently removing Amy's hand from his arm and stepping forward cautiously.

Mr. Boots suddenly glanced down at his wrist when a small, rapid beeping noise emitted from what looked like a watch. His eyes flashed and before Amy or Rory could do anything, he'd taken a step forward and smacked James across the head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"James!" Amy screamed, making to rush to his aid, but Rory held her back, watching the Silence cautiously as they raised their hands at her sudden movement.

"Amy, he's alright," Rory said reassuringly, looking at James' unconscious form. He knew he would likely have a concussion, a major headache, and a bruise, but Mr. Boots had been careful not to cause any significant damage.

"What did you do that for?" Amy shouted hotly. She would have pounced on him if Rory hadn't have been holding her back.

Mr. Boots didn't acknowledge her with his eyes, but instead showed her the very complicated-looking watch on his arm. "He was telepathically communicating with the Doctor. I've made it very clear that I won't tolerate that," he said, looking down at James. He took in a deep breath, then finally rested his eyes on Amy and Rory, smiling again. "Well, I suppose its your lucky day," he said with a grin, then walked up to them, pulling something from his pocket.

Amy and Rory both took a step back, but not before Mr. Boots could grab Amy's hand and turn it palm-up. She flinched back, but couldn't pull away. Before she even had time to be really worried, he'd pulled out a marker and was writing on her hand. He wrote a short note there, then returned the writing utensil to his pocket, backing away from them. "There. You two can go," he said with a disinterested tone. He gestured at the Silent behind them, which moved out of their path, allowing them a path out of the alley.

Both of them hesitated, struggling with the idea of leaving James behind, particularly in his current state. Amy was completely against the idea, and she stood stiffly, refusing to leave him.

Mr. Boots chuckled. "Grown fond of him, have you? I can see he feels the same, but really, there's no point in the two of you being stubborn. I have no real use for you and believe me, that's not a good position to be in. Now, don't let his sacrifice go to waste," Mr. Boots said, then he continued dangerously, "Leave, before I change my mind."

"Amy, we need to get the Doctor," Rory whispered to her gently, trying to pull her back. "He's right. We have to go."

"But-"

"We'll get him back, I promise," Rory assured her, slowly backing the two of them out of the alley, watching as the Silent in front of them bent down and picked James up. "Come on, Amy."

With one last look, they both turned and ran out of the alley and immediately forgot everything that had just happened.

* * *

><p>"Gaahk!" The Doctor shouted in pain, hand snapping up to the side of his head and falling to a knee.<p>

"Doctor!" River said in alarm, kneeling down beside him and trying to see what was wrong. "What happened? Are you alright?"

The Doctor's eyes were pinched shut in pain, but he nodded. "Ow! That's not good."

"What just happened?" River repeatedly urgently, removing his hand to look at his head, but was surprised to find nothing there.

"Oh... did I mention James and I share a telepathic link?"

River blinked at him. "What?"

Gunfire interrupted them and River had to pull the Doctor to his feet to get him running again, shooting behind them with her free hand.

The Doctor held the side of his head with his teeth bared as he ran alongside his wife, trying to clear his head. "A telepathic link. Our sensory and emotional responses are transmitted in varying degrees depending on where we are in correlation to each other. In other words, we feel and experience-"

"I know what you mean," River said. "How did that happen?"

"Well, I don't know, River. I can't know everything," the Doctor said. "He's the first meta-crisis to have ever existed. There's probably a lot I don't know about him, but I don't have time to worry about that, because I think he just got knocked out by something very hard and very metal." The Doctor blinked a few times, trying to shake the dizzy, fuzzy feeling from his senses.

River glanced at him with concern. "Will you be alright?"

The Doctor nodded, then straightened up and looked around thoughtfully. "We need to find James and your parents."

She nodded in agreement. "We should probably lose these three first though, sweetie," she said, firing off several shots that drove their pursuers back a few feet.

The Doctor made an abrupt turn left, then right behind a building, then right again, then once more, making each sharp and short. When they came out onto the the alley they had been, they had ended up behind their pursuers, who were now running willy-nilly down streets and behind buildings in search of them.

The Doctor smirked at his own brilliance, then grabbed River's hand and ran back the way they had come.

They had barely been running a minute when they were nearly sideswiped by Amy and Rory, who had run out from behind another building straight into their path.

The four of them came to a sharp halt and turned to each other.

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed in relief, grabbing his arms and looking at him urgently. "Doctor, we lost James! Is he with you?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I thought he was with you."

"He was," Rory said. "He was in front of us and then... he wasn't."

"The Silence," River said to the Doctor.

He nodded in agreement, then looked at Amy's hand. "What's on your hand, Amy?"

Amy gave him a puzzled expression. "What are you-" she started, bringing her hand up to look at, then stopped at the bold, black message written there.

The Doctor took her hand and read the note;

**14-999-7563-97563, **

**02-22-2298**

Amy looked at it, confusion etched on her features. "What does it mean?"

The Doctor frowned deeply. "Coordinates and dates. For the final showdown."

Amy's face paled.

"The final showdown?" Rory asked. "What do you mean? Wh-what does that mean?"

"It means he's ready to end it," the Doctor said. "He's ready to face off with me."He turned on his heel and started walking.

The three of them looked at each other and followed after him hurriedly.

It didn't take them long to return to the TARDIS, as they were no longer being followed. The Doctor assured them that Mr. Boots goons wouldn't pursue them, as they had achieved their goal and left, the Silence along with them.

The Doctor stomped up to the TARDIS doors with a determined gate when he stopped abruptly, dug through his jacket pocket and pulled out the psychic paper as though it had shocked him. He flipped it open and read the contents. His eyes widened.

"Oh, dear..."

River, Amy and Rory stopped in front of him, looking on in bewilderment.

"What is it now?" Amy asked, wondering if this day could get any worse.

The Doctor stared at it for a long time with a mixture of emotions that furrowed his brow. Quickly, he put the psychic paper back into the inside pocket of his jacket and whirled around on his toes, throwing the TARDIS doors open while saying, "James is going to have to wait."

Amy shook her head at him, flabbergasted. "Excuse me? He _can't_ wait!"

"He can and he will," the Doctor said, running up the TARDIS console and starting up the engine, watching as it pumped slowly up and down.

River watched him work, waiting for him to explain his reasoning, but not arguing with him.

Rory and Amy, on the other hand, were quite distraught.

"Doctor, James is missing. We can't just-" Rory began, but the Doctor interrupted him.

"Mr. Boots doesn't want to hurt James. He needs him for something, I haven't worked out what just yet, but for now he's safe. And right now there's a potentially _big_ problem that needs solving _right_ this very minute or it could permanently damage the universe."

"What was in the psychic paper, Doctor?" River asked.

The Doctor continued his rampage around the TARDIS console, flipping switches, pulling levers, slapping buttons and honking horns. "A message. For me."

"A message from who?" River asked.

The Doctor didn't answer, just kept working, then finally started to land her, the whole of the TARDIS jerking, forcing its passengers to grab hold of whatever they could find.

The Doctor stepped off the glass deck and went to an conclave where he kept a variety of different, mostly useless doodads. He pulled forth a thin screen that looked very much like the one situation about the console, then stalked off to the doors, throwing them open.

The view was something of a surprise to the rest of them, as it was nothing but a fitful ocean, waves crashing in on each other for miles on end, creating a strong breeze that blew the Doctor's hair and jacket as he stood at the door, playing with the knobs on his computer screen.

"Where are we?" Rory asked in confusion.

"Bermuda Triangle," River answered, walking up next to the Doctor to look at what he's doing. "Sweetie, what's happened?" When he didn't answer, she put her hand on his arm gently. "Tell me."

He stopped and looked at her, smiling, though she could see pain behind it. He then showed her the screen.

River's eyes widened.

The Doctor looked at the young, blonde woman on the screen and smiled softly, love and sorrow etched on his features.

"Hello, Rose."

* * *

><p><strong>And enter Rose! Another cliffie sort of. :) Next chapter will mostly be Rose-centric, unless its too long, in which case it will be Rose-centric along with the POV of the Doctor. Chapter after will be entirely James-centric. :) Next chapter is nearly done and I plan to post it this coming Monday.<br>**

**Thank you for all of your support thus far and I look forward to hearing from you all. Hope you enjoyed! 3  
><strong>


	27. Lost

**Oh my gosh this was torture. I apologize in advance. I hope I did this okay. Rose is... impossible to write. Particularly considering what I'm trying to go for with her. Anyway, so here's the Rose chapter. Next chap shall be James-centric! Hurray! Excited about that. This chap focuses on Rose and what she's been going through in James' absence and her inner struggle with her predicament. I did my best. Please enjoy. ^_^  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Three days. Three days of waiting and wondering and doubting. Three days she spent contemplating what she felt, what she wanted, what she was going to do.<p>

She couldn't get the Doctor out of her mind. Memories came in flashes of color amongst gray thoughts and worries. The TARDIS. She missed it so much. She missed the stars. She missed having the Doctor grab her hand and whisk her off on some ridiculous and even dangerous adventure.

And then she'd think about James; how sad, distant and angry he seemed to get when the Doctor abandoned them. She knew he had tried to reach out to her and she to him, but somehow, they never seemed to connect. At least, not the way they'd used to...

_But that was the Doctor._

What had changed? What was so different? They looked exactly alike! James had that same, unquenchable desire to help people, to see new things, to travel, to run... he didn't like being cooped up at Torchwood, constantly being watched by Pete's men. He had once tried to go investigate an odd phenomenon in Glasgow without consulting anyone (after all, he had never had to tell anyone where he was going before) and Pete had him escorted back.

She found it hard to relate to him, too. He wouldn't let her talk about things they used to do, because he didn't think _he_ had actually done it. It had been the Doctor, and that plagued him terribly.

She often went to her Mum for advice, but she didn't have much to give. She just told her to wait until she saw James again.

"What if the Doctor's there?" Rose had asked one night after a long talk about it.

"Then listen to what your heart is telling you," Jackie answered.

So for three days, she let her heart talk to her, tried to listen to what it wanted. It only answered when Pete woke her up in the middle of the night, shaking her shoulder.

She wearily opened her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep since James had disappeared, so naturally Pete would decide to wake her when she was _actually_ getting decent sleep. She was going to be irritated, but when she saw the look on his face, her heart skipped a beat and one word popped into her mind.

_Doctor._

Guilt washed over her in a vicious wave that made her stomach do backflips, and she had to take a conscious breath to calm it.

"You alright?" Pete asked concernedly.

She nodded. "What is it? Did you do it?" she asked hopefully, sitting up in her bed.

"We've found another door."

Pete rushed her down to Torchwood, where they immediately hopped a jet. During the flight, Pete explained the situation to her.

"The portal is- as luck would have it- in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Now, so far we haven't had any problems with equipment, but that could change quickly, so we'll need to do this fast. We can't send anyone through. That would risk the integrity of the portal and potentially tear apart our dimension."

Rose blinked at him. "Well, what good is it if we can't get through?"

"We can't send anything with mass through," Pete elaborated.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we can't send a person, but we _can_ send a message."

"Like a text?"

"We're hoping to send out a live video feed once he's close enough," Pete said. "I thought... you should do it."

Rose tried not to seem over-eager. "Me?"

Pete nodded. "I know you're worried about him and... and it's my fault that he was taken."

"What? No, it-"

Pete held up his hand, stopping her. "I was hard on him. I'm not proud of how I treated him. And Morgan Gates or... whatever his real name is... I should've paid more attention."

"Dad, it's not your fault. I..." she hesitated, as everything she'd been thinking about came at last to the forefront of her mind. "I... don't think he belongs here."

Pete looked at her in surprise. "What?"

Rose licked her lips, sitting up in her seat. She folded her hands in her lap, looking down at them when she got nervous. "I love him. I do, but... We all noticed it, I think. He's just... different. I think it was wrong of me to try and... and make him stay still. Do you know what I mean?"

Pete stared at her for a long moment, before nodding.

"We don't connect like... the Doctor and I did..." she murmured this, afraid of what Pete might think. She glanced at him from under her brow, gauging his reaction.

He had none. He just looked at her, listening.

She took a deep breath and pushed through, "I don't really know what changed. I mean, he looks like him and acts like him in a lot of ways, but in other ways he doesn't. And every time I look at him I think... I think he wants to be elsewhere. And in my heart... I feel the same. It's like we're being pulled in opposite directions."

"Rose," Pete said, placing a hand gently on her knee. "He's not the Doctor. He's a different person. You wouldn't think it, but he is."

"I love him," Rose said, "But not the same way."

Pete patted her knee.

"What do I do?"

"What do you want to do?"

Rose thought about that for a moment. "I... I want to make sure James is okay first."

Pete nodded. "Me too."

When the jet landed, they boarded a boat to take them into the Bermuda Triangle to get to the portal.

Rose had been taken to the front of the boat where several scientists were waiting for her. Equipment was set up on the deck, the wires taking up a majority of the walking space.

The lead scientist greeted her with a brisk handshake. "Hello, Ms. Tyler. I'm Doctor Henry Stanford. I'm going to be helping you get a message out to the Doctor."

Rose nodded, eager to get started.

"Now, firstly, we need to get his attention. We want him to show up at this portal where the video feed we'll be sending out will be strongest."

"Okay, how do we do that?" Rose asked.

Doctor Stanford grabbed a few electrodes, placing them at strategic points on her head. "You're going to send a telepathic message to his psychic paper. Now, what I'm hooking you up to will take your thoughts, amp them up, and send it out."

"How do we know he'll get it?"

Doctor Stanford chuckled. "We don't. We're operating under the assumption that if you keep your focus on the Doctor, he'll get the message."

Rose frowned, wanting to say something snappy, but kept her mouth shut. "What do I tell him?"

"Just call him," Doctor Stanford said. "Tell him where to go. Now, try to relax a bit. And focus."

Rose nodded, shutting her eyes. She listened the waves, felt the boat sway side to side, felt the wind on her face. Once she felt relaxed, she started a silent mantra. _Doctor... Doctor... Doctor..._

Doctor Stanford proceeded to make all of the preparations, setting everything up. After several minutes, he stepped back, checking over his work.

"There. Alright, Rose, send out your message in three... two... one!"

_Doctor-_

Before she could even finish her message, Doctor Stanford's monitors started beeping loudly. Rose opened her eyes, looking over at the screen.

"What's-" she stopped when someone appeared on the screen. She didn't recognize the face, but she would've known those ancient eyes anywhere.

_"Hello, Rose."_

She stopped breathing.

"D-Doctor?"

He smiled. His face was so... young. His hair still looked ridiculous and for some reason he was wearing old man clothes, the centerpiece a red bow-tie. In the background she could see a woman with large, curly hair watching, her expression unreadable. Was this her replacement?

Rose just stared at the Doctor, hardly able to believe it. "You... you changed." Again. He changed again on her. He looked so different. How many times had he changed since he left her? How many more regenerations did he have left?

She saw the hurt on his face when she said it, and wished she'd just not said anything.

"You look the same," he said.

She smiled at him.

They both were quiet for a minute, then the woman tapped the Doctor's shoulder, giving him a meaningful look. The Doctor looked confused at first, then appeared to remember something, turning back to them with a more stern expression. He pointed a finger at her, Pete and Doctor Stanford. "You... what in the hell do you think you're doing, toying with a portal like this? Do you know what kind of damage you could be causing?!"

Doctor Stanford cleared his throat. "Um, Doctor? Hello. I'm Doctor Henry Stanford. And I can assure you that we're not doing any damage to the portal."

"Oh, and you're an expert in inter-dimensional phenomena?"

Doctor Stanford looked flustered. "Um_-_"

"No, you're not."

"Well, _are_ we causing damage to it, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked at him for a moment, brow furrowed in anger, moving his jaw from side to side. "Well... no, but you didn't know that!" he scolded. He looked at Pete. "This was your idea, wasn't it?"

"We had to," Rose insisted. "Doctor, James was taken."

The Doctor swallowed and it wasn't hard for her to realize he knew that already. "Doctor, where is he?"

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering, "He's safe. I'm on my way to get him right now."

Rose stared at him. "You mean he's not with you?"

"Oh, well, you know how James is; he's just like me, after all. He's off saving some planets and people and... things... Having a grand time. But don't you worry, I'm off to go pick him up now. He's fine."

"Doctor, what aren't you telling me?" Rose asked. She knew the Doctor and knew when he was trying to hide something from her.

The Doctor looked at her, eyes softening, and he let out a breath. "James has been... taken... by the man you know as Morgan Gates... again. I was on my way to get him back when _you_ lot had to go sticking your noses in places they don't belong!" he said, jabbing his finger in Pete and Doctor Stanford's direction.

Rose closed her eyes. James was still missing. And she'd distracted the _one_ person in the universe capable of bringing him back. She had to get him back on track. "Is he alright, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded, still glaring at the two men beside her. "He's fine for now. Mr Boots- oh, I mean Morgan Gates- doesn't want to hurt him. At least I don't think so. He's had the opportunity and passed it more than once. He needs him for something."

"For what?" Pete asked, looking shame-faced. Rose frowned at him, knowing that he was blaming himself still.

"Again, I don't know because _somebody_-"

Suddenly a red-headed woman appeared on the screen, touching the Doctor's shoulder to placate him. "Alright, I think they get the picture."

"Who is this?" Rose asked, standing up straighter.

"Oh, right! Rose, this is Amelia Pond. Amelia Pond, Rose Tyler."

The red-head nodded with a meaningful look at the Doctor and Rose got the feeling that she knew exactly who she was... or had been. Amelia smiled at her, waved stiffly. "Hello."

"Hello. Um... Doctor?"

The Doctor looked at her. "Yes?"

"What happened to um... what happened to Donna?"

The Doctor's face fell and he swallowed. He twiddled his fingers -Rose had noticed several mannerisms that had changed- and spun on his toes, turning around and grabbing someone from beyond view. He returned with a brown-headed man who looked more than a little bewildered and startled. "Have you met Rory? Here's Rory. They're a couple. They're the Ponds. Say hello Ponds!"

The man -Rory- stood awkwardly, eyes darting around nervously before landing on Rose. "Um... Hello."

Rose frowned as the Doctor turned back to the curly haired woman, speaking to her in hushed tones too low for her to hear. "And who is that?" Rose asked, suddenly feeling very stiff.

The Doctor walked back to the the screen.

"Who is that?"

The Doctor just stared at her.

She felt a lump form in her throat. He was never quiet. Never. "She's..."

"River Song," the Doctor said, face solemn. "She's my... she's my wife."

Rose hugged herself with her arms, fighting back the tears. She wasn't sure what else she had been expecting. How could someone resist the Doctor? She couldn't. Did it really surprise her that someone else had... that she'd been...

She'd been replaced. Completely. Her heart shattered and her breath vanished from her lungs as she stared at the woman, all curly hair and sexuality. River was staring back at her, looking sympathetic. It made her angry, that this woman was pitying her. This woman who had taken the Doctor from her. She took in a shaky breath, trying desperately not to cry.

The Doctor's brow was knit together, expression pained. His head bowed, not in shame, but simply because he didn't want to see Rose hurt. "I need to find James. I'll contact you once I have him. _You_ two," he said, looking up and pointing a finger at Pete and Doctor Stanford, "don't meddle with any more portals. When I get back I don't want to have to fix anything you've broken. Do you understand that?"

Pete didn't say anything, but Rose knew he was relenting. Doctor Stanford was nodding profusely, wanting to appease the Doctor. "Just get him back safe, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded, looked at Rose again. She saw the affection, hurt, and regret in his eyes, yet all she could think was why... why would he abandon her? Why had he left her? Why... why had he replaced her? "I'll be back. I promise. And I'll have James with me; safe and sound."

Rose bit her lip, feeling tears in her eyes. It was too much. James was still gone. If anything happened to him... and the Doctor... her Doctor... he had changed. He had replaced her. His face. Even the TARDIS! It had changed, too. It no longer had that aged look. It looked like a child's play place now. What had happened since she'd been stranded here?

What was she going to do?

"Rose."

She looked up at him.

He smiled at her, a sweet, comforting smile. "It's me. I'm going to get him back. I'm going to fix this."

_You can't fix this, Doctor. Not this time._

She nodded, pretending to look comforted.

He smiled again, then turned. "I'll be back, I promise! Ponds! River! Find something to hold onto."

As quickly as he had appeared, the screen went black and the Doctor was gone, leaving Rose hugging her arms, feeling lost, abandoned... insignificant. He'd changed... moved on and replaced her in every way. He had a new face, new companions... a new love. Even a new TARDIS. James was still missing. What was she going to do?

She felt so lost.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew. The worst part is over. I tried to make the meeting between Rose, Amy, Rory and River as awkward as possible. It was... it was the most difficult scene I have written yet. I redid this chapter 2 or 3 times before I felt even a little satisfied.<br>**

**I hope you enjoyed anyway. If you have any critiques or comments or the like, please share. ^_^  
><strong>

**Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS to my 100th reviewer! You are wondrous :)  
><strong>

**And thank you EVERYONE who has officially made this story my most popular story yet! I'm so excited and happy! :D  
><strong>

**P.S. next chapter may be a little late, so I apologize in advance. I haven't yet had a chance to work on it, I've got family over and a ton of college stuff to take care of. I will get it up as soon as I can though. ^_^  
><strong>


	28. Bang Bang

**I'm alive, I promise. Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but it's a long one, so hopefully that compensates. Haha. Anyway, here's the James-centric scene! Sorry if there are spelling or grammatical errors. I'm kind of in a hurry with this and want to get it posted before I leave today for work.  
><strong>

**Oh, and I completely forgot to mention that one of the reviewers for this story gave me a gift for my 100th review! It's so awesone. Here's the link if you'd like to see. : / / oceanlover4evr .deviantart art/Gift-for-LostInTheTARDIS-337477772 without the spaces. :)  
><strong>

**Also, the winner of the 100th review hasn't responded, so if at the end of this story there is still no response, I'll offer it another reviewer. Just FYI. Also, also, at the end of this story, I will be taking a break, but I plan to come back and I would like all of your opinions on what you would like to see me write next. You can PM me your idea or put it here as a review. It doesn't really matter. What would you like to see next? I'll try to take a few ideas from each one of you. ^_^  
><strong>

**On to the story. Please enjoy this chapter. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>James awoke with a groan of discomfort, his head pounding in his skull. The worst part was that he couldn't remember why. He had been running with Amy and Rory, trying to get them away from the...<p>

The Silence.

James' eyes opened and he sat up. He immediately regretted it when his head burst in his head, bright and painful colors dancing across his vision. He sat back again -apparently he had been sitting- and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake off the sensation.

"Cowboy, he's awake," a vaguely familiar voice stated.

"Cambell, is that you?" he asked, carefully opening his eyes. The light was nearly blinding and his vision was blurry, but he could fairly well make out his surroundings.

Sitting just in front of him with a crossword puzzle was Cambell, fully recovered from the nitrogen burns he had received. He looked slightly bored, not really paying attention to the puzzles in his book. He glanced at James, looked at him for a second, then returned his attention to his book with a disinterested expression.

James made another attempt to sit up and was much more successful on his second go. He managed to sit up in the comfortable office chair he had been placed in and was able to get his bearings. He was in yet another nondescript warehouse, loaded with crates for the most part. He was at the far end, seated in a nice office chair, one wrist cuffed to the armrest. It seemed rather silly, when he looked at it, considering the fact that the chair had wheels, and if the opportunity to escape arose, it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to drag the chair along, as inconvenient as said plan would be.

Cambell was apparently acting as his guard, sitting in his own chair, although his was a fold-out, metallic one, and occupying himself with books he didn't seem to be in the least bit interested in.

Nigh had been stationed on top of one of the rows of crates near the center of the warehouse, also occupying what looked to be a lawn chair, a very large rifle resting on his thigh. He was staring down at James with an expression he hadn't expected to see on him; he looked deep in thought. It wasn't a good look on him.

Across from Nigh was Dickson, at the front was Freeman and James guessed that Thomas was stationed somewhere above and behind him, covering every corner of the warehouse, leaving not one inch unobserved.

Wizard.

Lastly, Mr. Boots rounded a corner of crates, carrying a plastic tray. "Morning, Sunshine," he greeted, walking over to him and setting the tray down on a little side table where Cambell was keeping his crosswords.

"I think its evening, actually," James said.

Morgan smiled. "Very impressive," he said, then handed James a mug.

"What's this?" James asked.

"Tea," he replied. "And I've made you a sandwich. I wasn't certain what kind you would want, so I threw in a little of everything; peanut butter,, jelly, honey, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, a few sliced of turkey and ham, tomatoes slices, regular butter, lettuce, several different kinds of cheese and some oregano." He handed the plate to him, pointed at the two pills sitting beside the odd looking sandwich. "That one is for the headache and that one is to help keep you awake."

"What for?"

"You have a concussion," Mr. Boots said, then handed him an icepack from the tray. "I overestimated how easily you would knock out."

James took the icepack with his free hand and placed it gently against the back of his head, feeling the heat slowly melt away, although the pain remained. He closed his eyes for a second, willing his scrambled brain to focus. "Where are Amy and Rory?"

"With the Doctor," Mr. Boots answered. "Safe and sound."

"You let them go?" James asked, a little surprised.

Mr. Boots grabbed a fold-up chair that was leaning against one of the crates, opened it, and took a seat, crossing a leg over his knee and leaning back into the seat. He shrugged. "It's like you said; I didn't need them."

James didn't remember saying that, and he knew that wasn't memory loss from the concussion. "So where did the Silence go?"

"They're around," Mr. Boots answered. "I told them to keep out of view. The last thing your head needs right now is memory altering."

James put the icepack on the side table, then grabbed the cup of tea, smelling the sweet aroma as he brought it to his lips. It was the best tea he had ever had. "This is really good."

Mr. Boots nodded his thanks. "My mother's recipe. It took quite a bit of practice to perfect. Take your pills, James."

James looked at the pills, frowning.

Mr. Boots laughed. "They're not poison. You have my word on that."

"Oh, no, it's not that. You wouldn't have gone to all of this trouble just to poison me. I've just never been a fan of human medicine," James said, picking up one of the pills and examining it between two fingers.

"It's not Aspirin," Mr. Boots assured him.

James looked at him, surprised.

"I've done my home work," the hit-man said with a smirk. "At any rate, there's a possibility that Aspirin isn't poisonous to you. Your human half might just protect you from that."

"Well, I don't think I'll be testing that out any time soon," James said, taking the two pills and swallowing them with a gulp of tea. He then turned to the sandwich, finding he almost liked it, if it hadn't have had honey and pickles. "So what's the plan, then?"

"The plan?" Mr. Boots inquired.

James nodded, swallowing a bite so that he could speak clearly. "You know... the plan. Are we just going to sit around here until the Doctor shows up? In case you weren't paying attention, it didn't work out that well for you last time."

"This is just a pit-stop."

Cambell glanced up from his crossword at Mr. Boots for a second, then returned to his crossword.

"And after this?"

"The last stop," Mr. Boots replied.

"And how exactly do _I _fit into any of this? After all, if this is all about killing the Doctor, then what would you need me for now?"

"You're essential."

"To what end?"

"I wouldn't want to give anything away too soon," Mr. Boots said with a grin. "All in good time, James."

"How about now instead," James said severely.

Mr. Boots stared at him, undeterred by the angry gaze he was receiving. "Getting a little impatient, are we?" he asked, then glanced behind him.

James followed his gaze to where Nigh and Thomas were talking in hushed tones, their backs turned to them.

"You're not alone in that."

"Huh. Looks like they're conspiring. I didn't think they had the brains for that... no offense to your minions over there," he said, watching as the two nervously glanced in their direction, then looked at the others scattered across the room.

"None taken. They're not the most intelligent bunch, which is precisely why I wanted them. Nigh and Cambell are really the thinkers of the group. The others just follow the money. We'll see what happens tonight," Mr. Boots said, then looked at James again. "But for now, how about a game?"

James had many, many more questions that he wanted the answers to, but he could see the Mr. Boots wasn't going to give anything away until he was ready, so he decided to drop it for the time being.

"Oh, I like games! I'm good at Scrabble. And Trivial pursuit! And- well, really, I'm good at every game. I'm also good at Hide and Seek. Let's play that. Just take these cuffs off me then I'll go hide and you count to one hundred. And why don't we let everybody join in the game, eh? I'll hide and the lot of you can count to one hundred and seek me," he said, holding out his wrist as far as it would go.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Go-Fish."

James guffawed. "Go-Fish?"

Mr. Boots looked at him curiously, tilting his head.

"I pictured you more as a chess sort of person."

Mr. Boots chuckled. "That's a bit cliche for my taste. Besides, I only have cards, I'm afraid."

"Go-Fish it is, then."

* * *

><p>For the next half hour, James played Go-Fish with Mr. Boots, blabbing away about absolutely nothing and everything, while the latter nodded and listened and piped in on a few occasions to add to what he said. It was- oddly enough- pleasant. Mr. Boots was actually enjoyable company when he wasn't trying to kill anyone. Eventually he grew bored, so Mr. Boots had to employ six new card games to entertain him over the course of an hour.<p>

It was a little disconcerting, actually enjoying his company. He knew he shouldn't be, but he was. Mr. Boots had intelligence to match his own, which made the card games that required actual skill quite interesting and he was a pleasant conversationalist.

"And that's why you should always bring a banana to a party," James concluded, picking up a card and holding it up to his forehead as they started a new round of Indian Poker.

Mr. Boots laughed, head rolling back with the outburst. He grabbed up a card and put it to his own forehead. "Had anyone else told me that story, I would've thought they'd gone mad."

"Oh, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that I'm mad," James said with a grin, then scrutinized the card on Mr. Boots' forehead. "I think I'm higher."

Mr. Boots laughed again. "Like father like son, I suppose," he said, looking at James' card. "I think I'm lower."

James made a face of disgust. "Please, don't call him that. Why does everyone call him that?"

"Well, technically-"

"I know, I know, in the technical sense, blah blah," James groused.

Mr. Boots chuckled and revealed his card to be lower than James'. They drew again, holding them up to their foreheads.

"Let me ask you something," Mr. Boots said.

"Ask away."

"Say the Doctor defeated me."

James' raised his brow in surprise that Mr. Boots would even consider the possibility.

"Bear with me," Mr. Boots said, lowering the card to lean forward. "Say the Doctor won. Were would you want to go?"

James gave him a confused look. "I need to get back to the Pete's World."

"_Pete's_ World?"

"That's what we call it," James said.

Mr. Boots' stared at him thoughtfully for a second. "I didn't ask where you needed to go. I asked where you wanted to go."

James stared at him for a second, suddenly feeling flustered. "I- well, I- I don't see- why do you care?"

"I want to know," Mr. Boots said, voice sincere.

"I- I need... _want_," he reiterated carefully, "to get back to Rose."

Mr. Boots' raised a brow. "Really?" he asked dubiously.

"Yes. Really."

"You seemed eager enough to leave her behind," the hit-man said.

"I wasn't eager! She was safer there."

"Is that the only reason?"

James frowned. "Why are you asking me this?"

Mr. Boots smiled and shrugged. "Like I said. Curiosity. I can see you don't want to talk about this just now. That's fine. I really should be going anyway. I've got a few more chores to take care of," he said, standing and tossing his card onto the table.

James put his down, watching him stand and adjust his coat. The ace of spades and hearts lay on the table across from each other.

"I'll be back shortly," Mr. Boots assured him. "Nigh, come keep James company while I'm gone."

Nigh came down from one of the crates and sat down in the now unoccupied chair in front of James. He met eyes with the meta-crisis, frowning at him. James, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, shifted away from him until the side of his body was facing him.

Mr. Boots looked between the two, then at Nigh. "I'll only be a few hours." With that, he turned and left, the spurs of his boots clinking until he pressed a few buttons on the vortex manipulator, and they disappeared entirely.

James frowned, disliking the idea of being left alone with Mr. Boots' henchmen. Particularly the one sitting next to him.

"So... how's being a criminal?" James asked.

Nigh ignored him, instead standing and looking back at the other henchmen stationed around the bunker. He pulled a communicator from his belt and spoke into it. "Are we ready?"

James looked at him curiously. "Ready for what?"

Nigh looked at him and smiled maliciously. "We're going for a ride."

"A ride? Where to? Right now? Are we all going? Shouldn't we wait for Mr. Boots? Don't you think-"

Nigh pulled the gun from the holster on his hip and pointed it at James' face. "Stop talking."

"Pointing a gun at me isn't going to work," Jame said. "Believe me, that's been tried by worse than you. I just like talking. Sometimes it relieves tensions. Sometimes it makes it worse. It depends on who I'm with."

The other henchmen had come down from their various stations to gather up equipment. Cambell and Thomas went to either side of James, releasing him from the chair momentarily to cuff his hands again behind his back.

"Nigh, he's going to kill you," James warned.

"I've got a plan," Nigh answered confidently.

James stared at him for a second, brain working quickly. He didn't particularly like any of these men, but they didn't have to die and when Mr. Boots discovered that they'd offed with him, there was no doubt in his mind that he would hunt down and kill every single one of them without a second glance. He needed to get Nigh to see reason.

"I hope its better than your steal-from-the-dangerous-hit-man plan," James said. "What happens when he finds us gone? Hm? Think he's going to say 'Oh, well. I give up,'?"

Nigh didn't have an answer to this, but he was far from deterred. His mind was set. Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, James turned to Cambell. "You're really going along with this?"

"I want to get paid," Cambell said, "And I don't think that's going to happen if we stick with the Cowboy."

"You're our money-ticket," Nigh said, then looked at the others.

"Nigh, you don't understand," James said, trying one more time to get him to listen, "He knows. He knows you're-"

"Shut up," Nigh said, raising his gun as though to strike him, but he stopped himself, bringing the gun down again. "Let's get moving. I want to be far away from here when the Cowboy shows up. Dickson, got those charges set up?"

Dickson, who had been running around the room putting square blocks at strategic points, turned and gave a thumbs up, gathering up the wires each box was connected to and pulling them along behind him as he headed for the door.

"Ahh. That's the plan, then," James said. "You're going to blow him up as soon as he comes back."

"Motion sensors will make sure the explosives go off at the right time," Nigh said.

Cambell pulled James along as the six of them headed for the door.

They were on earth. That was clear to him when they stepped outside. On the coast at an abandoned London port. No one around for miles. James frowned as he was pulled into the chill London air, looking around the the dismal harbor, veiled in a thick layer of mist. Whoever the caretaker was of this place needed to be fired.

Nigh and Dickson came out of the warehouse last, Dickson working on the finishing touches of the explosives and motion sensors.

"Freeman, go start up the ship," Nigh ordered.

Freeman nodded, slinging the very large gun he was toting over his shoulder and running off into the mist.

"Good place to hide a space ship," James commented. "Bit dreary, though. And it's _really_ quiet. Has anyone else noticed that? Not a sound. That's rarely a good thing-"

_Bang!_

Everyone ducked down.

"What the bloody hell?" Nigh exclaimed in alarm, gun already out in his hand and ready to fire. He pulled out his communicator and spoke into it, "Freeman, where are you?"

Static.

"Freeman?"

Cambell, whose grip on James' arm had painfully increased, swallowed. "He got him."

"What the hell is he doing here? He wasn't supposed to be back for at least another hour!" Thomas asked, eyes wide with fear.

"Well, if Nigh hadn't of interrupted me, I could have told you that he'd figured out you lot were scheming," James said. "He probably never left."

Nigh growled in frustration, then set up his gun against the barrel he had ducked behind, looking into the scope. "Damn. I can't see him. But that shot came from the building across from us. Thomas, Dickson, go round and get behind him."

Both of them hesitated, not wanting to get out of his hiding place. Thomas was the first to protest. "Are you bleeding mad? He'll get us. We've got to get out of here."

"Where are you going to go? He's on top of our ship!" Nigh bit at him scathingly.

Thomas peeked out from behind his box, frowning. He looked at Nigh again. "Round behind him, yeah?"

Nigh nodded.

"No, _do not_ do that," James said. "Listen to me. I can help."

"Shut up," Nigh hissed.

"Please, let me-"

Nigh pointed his gun at James again. "Shut up! Thomas, Dickson, go."

Thomas and Dickson, backs bent, got up and started making their way towards the wall of the building next to them, which was some sort of factory. The factory was long and would allow them to get to the back of the warehouse Mr. Boots was currently occupying without being detected. Using barrels and boxes as cover, they made their way to the factory and slipped inside.

James struggled against Cambell, wanting to stop them.

_Bang, bang!_

_Clink... Clink... Clink... Clink..._

Nigh and Cambell looked at each other.

"Bloody hell, he's walking right towards us," Cambell said, watching the door to the factory.

Nigh looked at James. "Give him to me."

Cambell looked strongly apposed to that, gripping James tighter.

"Nigh, please listen, I can help you. I can get us all out of here safely, but you have to let me go and let me do what I do best," James pleaded, urgency his voice. "Please, let me help. I can stop him. That's what I do."

_Bang!_

James flinched as Cambell fell backward, body limp.

Nigh jumped forward, grabbing James by the collar of his jacket and pulling him towards him. He wrapped his arm around his chest, pulled his gun from his hip and dropping his bigger gun completely, pressing the smaller to James' head.

When James finally registered what had just happened, Mr. Boots was standing in front of him, Cambell's limp body at his feet, gun poised.

"Back off, Cowboy," Nigh warned, eyes crazed with fear.

Mr. Boots stared at him for a second, adjusted the gun's position.

James' eyes widened. "No, wait-!"

_Bang!_

Nigh's grip on James loosened until he fell away entirely, his body hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

James flinched, looking down at Nigh. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Mr. Boots holstered his gun, stepped over Cambell and went to stand over Nigh's body, looking down at him, expressionless. "I warned him."

James looked up at him, jaw tight with anger.

"I warned him when I first hired him not to cross me," Mr. Boots continued, took in a deep breath, then looked up at James. "You alright?"

"They didn't have to die," James said, fists shaking.

"Yes, they did."

"You _murdered_ them."

"That's my job." He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you care this much, considering these men aided me in your capture."

James couldn't speak, anger boiling up inside him. Finally, all he could think to say was, "I'm going to stop you."

"I'm sure you will," Mr. Boots said, reaching out his hand.

James pulled away.

"Now don't make this difficult. We've got to meet up with the Doctor."

"You can't just leave them here," James said, gesturing at the men around them. "What about their families? Friends?"

"I have more pressing things to worry about."

James sighed and allowed Mr. Boots to grab his arm and they vanished.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew that was intense. Very hard chapter to write. Especially with my time-limit I was under. I hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say. :)<strong>


	29. The Big Reveal

**I am so very sorry about how late this is. The Holidays were chaotic and with me starting school the beginning of February, I was only able to write in small intervals between the two. But I have finally gotten to sit down and write today. I think I have two or three more chapters left before the end of this story. :'( which is kind of sad, but good since school will be occupying most of my free time for a while. Anyway, this is just basically an answer chapter to all of the questions I've posed thus far. I hope you enjoy it! Again, so sorry about the ridiculous lateness! **

* * *

><p>No sooner had the Doctor put in the coordinates and dates in the TARDIS than it had shot off into the Vortex, its passengers latching on to anything they could find. The TARDIS sped towards its destination, finding no time to wait for the Doctor to land it, and instead opting to land itself, jarring everyone aboard.<p>

The Doctor got up from where he'd nearly been thrown down and patted the console comfortingly. "Easy, Sexy. I'll get him back. I promise," he whispered to her, then turned to his companions. "Is everyone alright?"

"What happened?" Amy asked as she and Rory helped each other to their feet.

"Nothing," the Doctor assured her with a smile. "Let's see where we ended up, shall we?" He helped River to her feet, then headed to the door, stopping in front of it and letting Amy, Rory and River gather behind him.

"Stay behind me," the Doctor said, then opened the door.

They were in the middle of a long, windowless hallway. It was dark, the walls and carpet deep, natural colors. From the other end of the room, a woman was walking down the hall towards them. Her hair was up in a tight bun and she was dressed in neat and clean business clothes.

They all watched her as she quickly strode up to them, looking hurried and irritable. She stopped in front of them, glared at the TARDIS in the middle of the hall, then looked at each of them in turn. "You're early."

The Doctor blinked at her. "I am? For what?"

She glared at him. "You're expected in the viewing room," she said, pointing towards a door at the far end of the hall behind them.

"What are we viewing?" Rory asked.

The woman, who had handed each of them pass cards to clip to their shirts, turned her glare to him.

Rory, flustered, look at everything but her.

"Alright then, everyone to the viewing room, I suppose," the Doctor said, turning around.

"Not you," the woman said. "You're needed in Sale Room 5."

"What's in Sale Room 5?"

She stared at him, expression stoney.

"Right. Sounds fun. Where's Sale Room 5 then?"

"This way," she said, then started walking.

"Wait, you're not going alone," Amy said, grabbing his arm before he could even start following the woman. "You know this is a trap, right?"

"Of course it is," the Doctor agreed. "That's why I made a counter-trap. You worry too much." He pinched her cheek, then turned on his heels. "I'll be back in no time! See if you can find James."

"But Doctor-" Amy said, but the woman turned to her, raising a hand.

"Your passes do not extend to any of the Sale Rooms. Now, go to the viewing room or you will be detained until we reach the next docking station."

"We're on a ship?" Amy asked.

The woman sighed irritably, glancing down at the watch on her wrist. "Time's wasting. Presentations are about to begin. I would advice the three of you find seats. I'll be keeping an eye on you. You," she said, pointing at the Doctor, "come this way."

River looked at the Doctor, who smiled at her confidently, giving her a thumbs up. This was enough to reassure her, so she turned and led her parents to the viewing room.

The Doctor, meanwhile, turned and followed the woman down the hall.

She led him down a long, winding hallway until they had made a half circle, stopping in front of a door which the Doctor determined was on the other end of the ship, straight across from where he'd parked the TARDIS.

She took a key from her pocket, unlocked the door and let him inside, shortly walking off with hurried steps to perform whatever other duties she had to do with a grimace on her face.

The Doctor entered the room and closed the door behind himself. He was in a small room, no bigger than a closet. To his right was an empty coat rack and computer mounted into the wall, which included hand and eye scanners. Ahead of him was another metal door, protected by the best security measures money could buy, complete with a deadlock seal. To the left was a big red button...

So naturally, the Doctor pressed it.

Static followed and the Doctor realized it was an intercom, so he pressed it again, announcing, "Hello! It's me. The Doctor. I have arrived!" then let go.

The Doctor didn't have to wait long for the door to unlock and open for him, letting him step inside of another rather small room, this one a little bigger than the bedroom of a small flat. At the end was a large computer on which a screen was rapidly counting up, reaching into the hundreds of thousands. Above the computer and making up for most of the wall was a large screen depicting another small, white room, wherein the Doctor saw James pacing up and down each wall, knocking and tapping on each of the four walls that appeared to be detaining him. On one of the walls was another screen with the same rising numbers as the ones in the room he was currently occupying.

Lastly, the Doctor's eyes fell on Mr. Boots, reclining in a chair, his legs resting on the computer in front of him. He looked up at the Doctor, then down at his vortex manipulator, then up again at the Doctor. "You're early.

The Doctor ignored him, his eyes glued to the screen, where James had begun pacing the white room he was in, ruffling his hair in thought. He crossed over to the screen, the bright green numbers displayed there having reached the millions, and started trying to pry it out of the wall. He gave up easily, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd obviously tried that already.

Finally, the Doctor looked at Mr. Boots. "Where are your henchmen?"

"Where are your companions?" Mr. Boots countered.

"Safe," the Doctor replied, stepping forward. He glanced at the controls of the computer, figuring out how each worked. It was almost a control room and it all seemed to be connected to the screen counting upward.

Mr. Boots nodded, smiling evenly, then answered. "Dead."

The Doctor looked at him.

Mr. Boots shrugged, unconcerned. "It's unfortunate, really. I had meant to keep my word," he said, then flicked his eyes at the Doctor. "Until you decided to open that big mouth of yours."

"I thought they should know they're employer wasn't what he appeared," the Doctor said.

"Well, good for you. Now their blood is on your hands," Mr. Boots said, then added, "but I suppose that's of little consequence to you. After all, you've killed more people than even I have."

The Doctor felt a pang of guilt in knowing that the statement was true, but opted to ignore it. "I know what your plan is."

Mr. Boots smiled, knowing he'd gotten to him, but decided to play along with the Doctor. "Oh? And what would that be?"

The Doctor strode forward, glancing up at the screen as James began rummaging through his jeans pockets for something useful. He had an abundance of random knickknacks and gadgets, but nothing particularly helpful to his current situation. The Doctor narrowed his gaze at Mr. Boots again, "This isn't about money, is it?"

Mr. Boots waited patiently for the Doctor to continue.

Which he did. "This is about vengeance."

Mr. Boots smiled. "Vengeance against who?" he asked, encouraging the Doctor to continue.

"I kicked the Silence off of earth. They couldn't go anywhere without humanity trying to kill them, so they fled. They fled to Agora. It's a perfect place to hide and regroup. A planet full of people who have never seen the moon landing video, but they still needed a grip on earth. That's where your parents came in."

"They integrated them and others into all of the major governments, secretly pushing humanity in the direction the Silence wanted. It wasn't as fool-proof as the presence of the Silence themselves, obviously," Mr. Boots said.

"But something happened. What happened that made the Silence decide to kill them?" the Doctor asked. "They changed their minds, didn't they?"

He nodded. "I think it was shortly after meeting you in person. I remember my father coming home one day after weeks of the two of them being away. He was ranting about you averting some international disaster involving black boxes," Mr. Boots mused, but couldn't remember the details, so moved on. "It was a few weeks after that he decided we would disappear. They planned to leave during The Harvest, when everyone would be out. They thought we would be harder to spot."

"They killed them anyway. Right there. In front of everyone. But they spared you. Why?"

"I wasn't spared," Mr. Boots corrected. "I got very lucky. I got separated from my parents- just for a moment- by the crowd. The Silence didn't bother with me, because they thought I would forget. But my father-" he tapped his head, grinning "-was a clever man."

"You remember," the Doctor said, "so you got off Agora to get your revenge on the Silence. Which is where I come in, I assume..." he paused, then added, "The prophecy could have been a metaphor, you know."

Mr. Boots chuckled. "Doctor, do you really think my first instinct was to let you kill them for me? I went out to kill the Silence myself. I got into the Time Agency, and on about... oh... my third mission, I think... I stumbled upon a field. On Trenzalore."

The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't given much thought to the prophecy. He didn't really have much use for them anyway (even if the last one _did_ kill him), but he could see no lie in Mr. Boots' eyes. He meant it.

"You were there?"

He nodded. "I would tell you all about it, but I don't want to give anything away."

The Doctor swallowed, the information sinking in. That was that, then. He now knew how he was going to die and it terrified him. The last thing he'd wanted in this new body was another prophecy dictating his demise.

Mr. Boots continued, leaning back comfortably in his chair, "Afterwards, I knew all I had to do, was wait for that to happen."

"Then why this?" the Doctor asked, then pointed to the screen at James, who had taken a seat in the corner of the room, staring at the numbers on the screen that had well past the millions. "Why do you need him? He has nothing to do with the Silence or that prophecy."

Mr. Boots looked between the Doctor and James. "What makes you so sure of that?"

The Doctor swallowed. "He couldn't have been there..."

"Who did you think was going to answer the question?"

"Well me of course. I'm the only one that knows the answer."

"No, _he_ knows the answer, too. _He's_ the one who answers. _He's_ the one who brings the downfall of the Silence."

"No... he doesn't... he couldn't... he _can't_ be there!"

Mr. Boots chuckled. "Well, to your credit, I at first thought it was your previous incarnation, and I believed that for years. After you regenerated again I was, needless to say, a little confused. That is, until James introduced himself to me. It made so much sense after that."

The Doctor stared at him, all of the pieces connecting together in his mind as he sorted it. "At the Shadow Proclamation. The file..."

"It gave me everything I needed. It told me who he was, where he came from, how he'd gotten here, and, consequently, what my new purpose was. Everything that has happened up to this point has been to ensure that James gets to the fields of Trenzalore... and to make sure he _stays_ here until that time."

"Like having the Shadow Proclamation put him into their system. He's a recorded species now."

Mr. Boots nodded. "And this," he said, pointing at the screen, which suddenly went from the millions straight up into the billions. "In case you hadn't figured it out yet, this is an Auction Vessel. Only the highest of the Black Market buyers and sellers come here. And I've been showing James off to every one of them for the forty-five minutes. They all now know what he is, what he can do, and how important he is to you. That's how much they're offering for him." He pointed at the screen, which had apparently stopped at the highest bidder... at over a billion credits.

"You wouldn't sell him," the Doctor said.

"Of course not. This is just to show you what your enemies are willing to pay to get him. Wait a little longer and you'll see what they're willing to _do_ to get him."

"This is a show. For me. To make sure I don't take him back?"

He nodded. "I have three things I want you to see before we finish here. And this is the first," he said, then clicked a button on the computer. "Given up already, have you?"

The Doctor looked up at the screen as James' head popped up, looking around at the ceiling. "Oh, no... just... mulling..." James said, scratching his ear.

Mr. Boots laughed. "Well, while you do that, I'd like to discuss what we were talking about earlier today."

"What, the bit about how you're a homicidal psychopath?"

"No, not that one. I want to know where you want to go."

"On again about that, are you?" James asked.

"I want an honest answer."

The Doctor, who hadn't been quiet this long in his life, for some reason felt it was important to not make his presence known. Not just yet, at any rate. Besides, he wanted to know how James would answer, and he didn't think he would say if he thought the Doctor was there.

Mr. Boots glanced at him and grinned, apparently aware of his train of thought.

"I want to go back to Rose," James said passively.

"I said honest."

"I am being honest."

"You're giving me a half-truth and that simply won't do. You've made it abundantly clear that you love her- I have no doubts about that- but I don't _care_ how much you love her or how you would _never_ hurt her or any of that nonsense. I didn't ask about that. Disregard obligations. Disregard what you _should_ do or what is the _right_ thing to do. _Where. Do. You. Want. To. Go._"

The Doctor stared at Mr. Boots for a second, then at James, watching his expression. He looked distressed and uncertain; like the answer was too difficult for him to get his tongue around.

"I..." James started, then hesitated, like he was going to just not answer. "I don't want to go."

The Doctor felt a wave of guilt and sadness wash over him as the words washed over him, an echo of words his own lips had once muttered before he'd died... all alone... afraid...

Mr. Boots watched him, studying his reaction.

"I don't want to go back," James said finally. He looked down at the floor, biting his bottom lip, then, after several seconds of silence, added, "But it doesn't matter what I want. I have to go back. The Doctor doesn't want me here. And I can't leave Rose."

Mr. Boots then chuckled. "Well, you're wrong there. Isn't that right, Doctor?"

James face tightened. "What?"

Suddenly an alarm started wailing throughout the entire ship.

"Ah," Mr. Boots said, "Here comes the second thing I wanted to show you."

The alarm began to cut out, static overbearing the loud noise until a single, spine-chilling voice rang out over the ship. "_EXTERMINATE!"_

* * *

><p><strong>That's right! Daleks! I'm so excited about this next chapter. It's going to be so exciting! Okay. I hope you enjoyed this update and if you have any questions, comments, or critiques to give me, please feel free to share! I live for your opinions! XP Hope everybody's holidays were lovely! (How could they not have been with that fantastic DW Christmas Special?)<br>**


	30. Confrontations

**Before I begin this chapter, I would like to take a moment to thank you all for the reviews for last chapter and really for every chapter so far, but particularly the last one. I got reviews from new people and people who have been following this from the beginning and I enjoyed every last one of them! I'm so pleased to see how much people like this. So thank you all!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The viewing room Rory, Amy and River found themselves in was small, consisting of three comfortable-looking seats facing a large screen and desk covered in buttons. At the top right corner of the screen was a number steadily rising in quantity, but the main focus of the screen was what caught Rory's attention.<p>

"Look," Rory said, pointing to the image of James, pacing the floor of an all-white room, scratching his head with both hands, expression scrunched in contemplation.

"Is that a live feed?" Amy asked, looking from James to the desk with buttons. Most of them she wasn't sure what they were for other than the alphabet, a number pad and a yes and a no button. Out of curiosity, she pressed one of the buttons that were less obvious, and a small tab appeared on the screen, saying in bold lettering; **Meta-Crisis. **

River looked up at that, then went to Amy, looking down at the buttons. "Oh, no."

"What?" Amy asked. "What is it?"

River didn't answer, but instead began pressing more buttons, apparently knowing what they were for. Several more tabs popped up on the screen, filled with information about James. When he was "created", where he had been living prior to his capture, who his "parents" were, his biological makeup. Every detail.

"What is this?" Rory asked.y for every chapter so far.

"Black market," River said. "He's selling James."

"Selling him?" Amy asked. "Well, what do we do? How do we stop him?" She looked down at the buttons, hoping one of them would stop the sale from happening. "We could buy him!"

"With what money?" River asked, then looked up as the numbers slowly came to a stop near the billion mark. "You two stay here. I'm going to go look for him."

"The Doctor?" Rory asked.

"No. James," River said. "Rory, do you still have that communicator I gave you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Keep me updated on what's happening on the screen. Tell me if a buyer has been picked. James has to be somewhere on this station. I just need to find him before someone buys him."

"So we just sit here and do nothing?" Amy asked indignantly.

"Someone has to be here when the Doctor gets back," River said. "Please, Mother. Stay here until the Doctor gets back."

"You're going to go alone?"

River smirked. "Of course not," she said, then pulled out her gun. "I have all the company I could need." With that, she turned and left the room, running off down the halls.

Amy frowned and looked back at the screen, watching James, who had apparently grown tired of his pacing and sat down. "Is he talking to someone?"

Rory nodded. "There must be a loud-speaker in there," he said.

They watched him as he silently conversed with some invisible voice, his expression slowly becoming sadder; almost guilty.

Suddenly an alarm began blaring and along with it came a sound neither of them had wanted to hear ever again. "_EXTERMINATE!_" A scream followed.

Rory paled at the sound and Amy looked at the door, eyes wide.

"Was that-"

"Yes," Amy said.

"That sounded really close," Rory said.

"What should we do?" Amy asked. She didn't like the idea of sitting here. If a Dalek just happened to come into the room, they were toast, but if they left, they might run into one.

"Stay here?" Rory offered uncertainly.

"What if one comes in?" Amy asked, then looked at the door, certain that she was about to see one burst through it. "What are Daleks even doing here?"

"I'd rather stay in here than wander around out there," Rory said.

"But what if the Doctor doesn't know the Daleks are here?" Amy said. "We have to warn him."

Rory frowned, completely opposed to the idea, but could see Amy had already made up her mind as she went to the door, peeking out to see if the coast was clear. "Wait, Amy. We're no help to the Doctor if we're dead."

"Does River know?" Amy asked.

Rory reached into his pocket, where he had deposited the communicator and put it to his ear. "River-"

"_Daleks. I know, I heard."_

"What do we do?"

_"Get back to the TARDIS. You're not safe there. The Daleks are going through every room. They're searching the whole building._"

"For the Doctor?" Rory asked.

_"Maybe."_

"Alright. Get back to the TARDIS and do what?"

"_Wait._"

"What about the Doctor?" Amy asked. Rory was going to repeat her question for River, but she must have heard her.

_"I'm sure he already knows Daleks are here."_

"She said he probably already knows," Rory said.

"But what if he doesn't?" Amy asked.

"_Leave it to me. You and Dad just get to the_ _TARDIS."_

"She said we need to get to the TARDIS."

"We can't leave them."

_"LIFEFORMS DETECTED!" _screeched a Dalek and it sounded dangerously close.

"Amy, we _have _to go," Rory said, standing and grabbing her hands, looking her in the eyes seriously, pleading her to go. When she didn't respond, her took it as a yes. He peeked out the door, seeing the coast was clear (at least for the time being) and then pulled her out with him, running back down the hall from where they had come.

As they ran, they passed a small pile of dust. A clipboard lay beside it. Amy looked at it for a second before she realized who it had been before the Daleks had found her. The woman who had met them when they first arrived. She swallowed and turned her head away, not wanting to dwell on it.

They were alone for the whole of ten seconds before they started to hear the pounding of several feet from behind them.

"Someone's behind us!"

"Some_one_?" Rory asked, glancing behind him to see-

"Rory!" Amy gasped, stopping abruptly and pulling him with her, both of them skidding to a halt before running into the dozen or so Silurian soldiers that had become visible in front of them.

They hissed at them through their masks, guns poised, ready to fire.

"Step aside, Humans!" A deep, rumbling voice shouted from behind them as the sound of running ceased.

Rory and Amy ducked as a barrage of shots were fired above their heads from either side. Silurians fell and retreated as a wall of Judoon soldiers stepped forward, pushing them back.

Rory and Amy remained on the floor, Judoon stepping past them, until a female, humanoid hand reached down to help them up. Rory looked up at the Shadow Architect, took the hand and pulled himself and Amy up, looking at the pale, red-eyed woman in surprise.

The woman looked at the two of them. "Where is the Doctor?"

* * *

><p>James had heard the voice and it had stopped his heart. He could hardly breathe. It was impossible. He couldn't have possibly heard that noise because they were gone. Extinct. At his hands. There couldn't possibly be-<p>

The wall in front of him suddenly burst into rubble. He put his hands in front of him and turned his body away from the explosion as debris fell around him, dust filling the room. When he looked up, there were three Daleks in the room, the blue orbs of their eyes pointed at him.

"_WE HAVE LOCATED THE META-CRISIS," _the middle of the three proclaimed.

James gaped at them. "You... I destroyed you... all of you."

"_YOU FAILED TO ERADICATE ALL OF THE DALEKS."_

"Let me guess," James said, licking his lips nervously as he glanced between the three of them, who were blocking his only escape route. "Temporal shift."

They didn't respond.

James stared at them, waiting for them to do something. "I don't suppose you popped by just to prove I didn't kill you, did you? Are you here to return the favor? Because if that's the case, I'd rather you just get on with it."

"_YOU WILL ASSIST THE DALEKS!"_ the one to the left cried.

"What?" James asked.

_"THE META-CRISIS CAN EXPOSE THE DOCTOR'S WEAKNESSES._"

_"THE META-CRISIS WILL HELP THE DALEKS DESTROY THE DOCTOR!"_

James guffawed at them. "No, the Meta-Crisis won't... and I have a name, you know," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and wandering over to the wall, leaning against it.

"_YOU WILL ASSIST THE DALEKS OR YOU WILL DIE._"

"Assist, don't assist; either way I'll end up dead, so what's the point in doing anything at all?"

"_IT IS USELESS TO RESIST US," _the Dalek said and all three started moving forward.

There really wasn't a way out of this and all he was doing was prolonging the inevitable, but he tried to distract them anyway. "And what exactly are hoping to find? You think the Doctor has an on and off switch?" James asked, then pushed himself off the wall with his shoulders and walked up to the center Dalek, staring it down. "All I had to do was press a button to kill you. I can guarantee you it won't be that easy to kill the Doctor." He stepped back over to the wall, staring at them defiantly.

"_YOU HAVE VITAL INFORMATION ON THE DOCTOR AND HIS TARDIS," _the center Dalek said.

"I hate to break it to you, but you have to have opposable thumbs to fly the TARDIS," James said, wiggling his thumbs at them.

"_YOUR ATTEMPTS TO SAVE YOURSELF ARE WASTED_," said the one to the right as the three approached him.

James swallowed, the cogs spinning rapidly in his mind for a means of escape, but he was coming up with blanks. His heart stopped when he realized he had no way out of this. It was ironic that the first thing he killed upon regenerating was about to turn around and kill him right back, but he didn't have a lot of time to mull over it; they had barely moved an inch towards him when Mr. Boots suddenly zapped in front of them. He grabbed hold of James' tie, punched in a few buttons on his vortex manipulator and was gone within seconds.

* * *

><p>River hadn't gone far before she'd realized just how serious the situation had become. She'd very nearly run into a troop of Sontarans marching down the hall. She ducked into a doorway to avoid them and they went past without noticing her.<p>

She sighed. This was exactly why she had wanted to send James back. Now the cat was out of the bag and everyone wanted a piece of him.

She briefly considered going back for her parents and escorting them to the TARDIS herself now that all of these baddies were wandering around, but she stopped when she felt the need to look down at the top of her hand. The black mark she discovered there made her heart stop. She looked up, but the hallway looked empty.

Carefully, she stepped out of the archway she'd hidden in, looking either way for anything suspicious, gripping the marker that had at some point ended up in her hand.

She started back the way she'd come, hurrying to get back to her parents before something else reached them first.

And then her gun was out and she was running, not daring to look back. She knew what was behind her. She didn't know how many, or which way she was running, but that didn't stop her, because of all of the monsters she'd encountered in her life and with the Doctor, none of them scared her more than the creature that was undoubtedly chasing her now.

They would never take her again.

* * *

><p>The Doctor had heard the Daleks, but they sounded warbled- well, more warbled than their voices normally were. Almost as though... he looked at the screen at James, who was looking at the wall opposite him, eyes wide in confusion and alarm.<p>

"Oh, no," the Doctor said as it dawned on him what was about to happen. "No, no, no, no, no..."

Mr. Boots glanced at the screen unconcernedly.

The Daleks burst into the room, dust and debris going everywhere.

"No, no. Where is he, Mr. Boots?" the Doctor asked, turning to the hit-man desperately. "I have to get him out of there _right now_."

Mr. Boots' brow furrowed slightly and tilted his head. "What was that?"

"I don't have time for your games. I have to get him now. Right now. Come on. Where is he?"

"Did you call me _Mr. Boots_?" he asked, ignoring the Doctor entirely. He chuckled. "Well, I quite like that. Never did particularly care for the Cowboy, personally. But I'm not the one who named me. In fact, I've never even formally introduced myself to anyone, now that I think about it..."

"Enough!" the Doctor snapped, stepping forward so that their faces were barely touching. "Now you listen to me, and you listen carefully. I _have _to save James _now_. If something-" he stopped himself, swallowing, unable to continue.

Mr. Boots stared at him, watching his face as the Doctor's jaw jutted and every muscle tensed; fury in his every feature. After a moment, he smiled. "Good. It's finally sinking in."

The Doctor glanced at the screen, where he could see James stalling to the best of his ability. He looked... defeated, but (not unlike himself) he continued talking, continued trying despite the fact that there was no obvious way to save himself. "What is," he said through gritted teeth.

"The third thing I wanted to show you. How important he is to you."

The Doctor looked at the screen again. The Daleks were closing in on James now. His desperation grew and he looked at Mr. Boots again. "You save him right now or so help me I _will_ kill you."

Mr. Boots' mask faltered- only for a moment- enough for the Doctor to see a hint of fear behind his eyes, but it was gone in an instant and the mask resumed. He smiled at the Doctor and, after pressing a few buttons on the vortex manipulator, said, "Now I _know_ you won't take him back." He pressed another button and disappeared only to reappear on the screen, zapping in between James and the Daleks. He grabbed James by the tie and zapped away again, returning to where he had been standing in front of the Doctor seconds ago, this time with James in toe.

James pinched his eyes shut in discomfort. "I _hate_ vortex manipulators!" he complained.

The Doctor looked at the screen, where the Daleks were spinning around in outrage, crying "_EXTERMINATE!_" at nothing. He then looked at James, who was currently trying to get over the side effects of traveling by vortex manipulator and realized just how much he did care. He had tried not to- tried to objectify him so that he could detach himself- but the relief he felt seeing James safe. If something had happened to him... He blinked a few times, trying to clear his thoughts. "Are you alright?" he asked tentatively.

James nodded. "I'm fine."

Mr. Boots, who had been looking between the two of them, finally looked at James, feigning a look of indignation. "No thank you?"

James glared at him. "Oh, I'm supposed to thank you for kidnapping me and nearly getting me killed multiple times over?"

Mr. Boots chuckled. "You'll thank me when this is all over," he said.

"Doubt it," James bit under his breath, then looked at the Doctor, who was staring at him... Just staring.

James gave him a bewildered look. "What?"

The Doctor swallowed. "Nothing," he said slowly, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Nothing. Good to see you're... um... fine. You're fine. Good. We're all fine. Okay. We should... um... leave before the Daleks find us."

"I wouldn't just be worrying about Daleks," Mr. Boots said.

"What? Well what else is here?" James asked in alarm.

Mr. Boots shrugged. "Not sure."

James glared at him again.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find out in a second," the Doctor said, walking over to the door and gesturing for the two of them to follow.

"He's coming with us?" James asked, obviously disapproving of the very idea.

"I'm the only one with the gun," Mr. Boots pointed out, "and I doubt you'll be able to talk your way out of trouble this time, as much as I'm sure you'd prefer it."

"You're welcome to come along, but you need to keep that gun in its holster," the Doctor said. "I don't like guns."

"Yes, I'm aware," Mr Boots said, patting the gun at his hip. "It'll stay where it is."

The Doctor stared at him for a moment. "I mean it. I can't be fighting you along with the Daleks and whatever else is out there. It stay in the holster."

Mr. Boots smiled reassuringly. "You have my word."

The Doctor nodded, satisfied, then opened the door, ushering James and Mr. Boots through. "We'll need to hurry. The TARDIS is on the other side of the ship."

"Are you sure you don't want me to use my gun?" Mr. Boots offered.

"He's sure," James glowered.

Mr. Boots shrugged in compliance.

"Easy, James," the Doctor said. "Let's go, shall we?"

He opened the door and the three of them, after ensuring the hallway was empty, piled out of the room and started down the hall**.**

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, that's all I have time to write today and it seemed a decent place to end the scene, so... here we go! Now, either this next chapter or the chapter after shall be last. It depends on how much more I have to cover in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this update and, as usual, comments and critiques are always appreciated! I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say today!<br>**


	31. Gone

**Dear Readers,  
><strong>

**I sincerely-erely-erely apologize for how long it took me to post this chapter. It has been FAR too long and I feel horrible about it. I have excuses, but I won't bother you with them. Point is, too long, I'm so, so sorry, and here is the next chapter. The next chapter I post shall be, sadly, the last. :( **

**Also, I recently received a review from someone who I was unable to reply to, and since I appreciated what they had to say, I've decided to answer them here.**

**Firstly, (and this is important to note to everyone who is following this story) to address the cannon you noticed, when I first started this fic, I actually hadn't watched the 11th Doctor's episodes in their entirety and much of my information was incorrect. Believe me, it bothers me that they're there, and once this story has reached its end, I will be re-uploading the chapters with updated versions. (The Rory being plastic thing is a nagging and horrible mistake on my part, along with another thing that I won't mention in case you didn't notice it yourself ;P )**

**Secondly, thank you so much for those amazing and humbling compliments! I'm really honored. Thank you!**

**Okay, sorry for the interruption. On with the chapter! Allons-y! **

* * *

><p>"Are you certain you don't want me to use my gun?"<p>

The Doctor hesitated, pursing his lips in worry as he looked at the scene playing out before him. He watched, a little overwhelmed as Cybermen, Daleks, Sontarans, Silurians, security guards for the facility, Judoon, and even some Sycorax fought each other in the hallway in front of them, blocking their path to the TARDIS completely.

Mr. Boots stood behind James and the Doctor, arms crossed as he looked to the Doctor for the go-ahead to use his weapon. James was quiet, slightly pale at all of these creatures who were currently after him, although thankfully none of them had spotted him yet. The Doctor stood in front of the both of them, trying to figure out what to do. He could probably find a way around, but then again he couldn't exactly just leave them all there and give them the opportunity to hurt any innocents.

"Um... no..." he said unconvincingly, quite daunted by the amass of enemies ahead of them, who had luckily still not noticed them yet.

"Very well. Then how do you plan to get out of this?"

"Well we can't just leave them here to do who knows what kind of damage," the Doctor said, "There are people on this vessel... not good people, but people still and I can't leave them. We need to figure out how to get everyone off of this station."

"I have an idea," James said.

The Doctor looked back at him. "What's that?"

"Easy. I'm going to politely tell them to leave. But to do that, I need to get to the engine room."

"Which would be where?" Mr. Boots asked.

"Well, if I remember the build of this kind of vessel- which I do- it should be down that hall down to the right, I believe," the Doctor said.

"Right, well we still have the problem of getting past this lot," the Doctor said. "Maybe if we create some sort of diversion..."

"Can you throw your voice at all?" James asked.

"I don't think so... what do you have in your pockets, James? Maybe we can throw or make something that will draw their attention down that hallway and away from us," the Doctor said, gesturing down the hall to their left.

"Yeah! Like a ball or maybe a rubber band."

"Something loud. Like a horn, maybe."

While the two of them dug through their pockets trying to find something useful, Mr. Boots opened his jacket, reached into an inside pocket and pulled out two small canisters. He then knelt down and tossed them on either side of the fighting horde in front of them. The Doctor and James stopped their searching and watched the canisters roll out into the hall, eventually coming to a stop. Not a second later, there came two large puffs of smoke, obscuring everything from view.

Mr. Boots wasted no time in grabbing James' tie again and the Doctor's arm and hauling them both up and out of the doorway they had been hunkering in, making his way along the wall until they were clear of the smoke and running down the right hallway.

When they had gotten enough distance between them and the fighting, James wrenched his tie out of Mr. Boots hand and pulled it off his neck, coughing a bit. He tossed it on the floor like it had burned him. "That's the last time I'm wearing a tie," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, glaring at Mr. Boots.

Mr. Boots ignored him, looking back behind them to ensure they weren't followed.

The Doctor straightened his jacket and clapped his hands together. "Alright, the engine room should be just up ahead."

They got to the engine room without any hassles and Mr. Boots stood at the door like a bouncer as James and the Doctor rushed inside.

James wasted no time, rushing over to the nearest control panel and making quick work of sabotaging the vessel's systems. The Doctor caught on immediately and followed his lead, running over to the panel opposite and overloading all of the systems.

Mr. Boots glanced into the room, brows raising in realization. "How long will that give us to find your friends and get back to the TARDIS?"

"Fifteen minutes," the Doctor replied. "Twenty at most."

Mr. Boots sighed. "Do you get a thrill out of cutting your escapes this close?"

"You'd think so," the Doctor said with a laugh. "Are you finished there, James?"

James pulled one last switch with a flourish, turning to him with a grin. "Yep. We should probably go find the Ponds ad River now."

"My thoughts exactly," the Doctor agreed.

Mr. Boots led the way as the three of them headed back down the hall they had just come from just as the warnings began to sound all throughout the vessel.

* * *

><p><em>Warning. System failure. Emergency protocols are now in effect. Please board an escape pod on level C, 208 in a calm, orderly fashion. <em>_Warning. System failure..._

River looked up at the speakers, unable to look at the floor, lest she forget again and lose valuable time. She knew the Doctor was behind whatever malfunction had occurred, which meant that the Doctor had gotten James and it was time to leave. Careful to step over the bodies of the Silence she knew were on the floor without looking at them, she began making her way back. She ran into a few obstacles, but she took care of them, leaving a trail of bodies behind her. Most of the aliens on board didn't concern her. She only really had a problem if a Dalek showed up.

Which, inevitably, one did. It spotted her from across the hallway.

"_EXTERMINATE!"_ it screamed, firing shots at her back.

She ducked at the first blast, then ducked into a doorway to get out of the line of fire. She fired off a few shots back, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. Unlike the last Dalek she had encountered, this one was fully operational. Before she even had a chance to weigh her options, she heard a deep, rumbling voice shout.

"Halt! Drop your weapon!" a Judoon shouted, raising its weapon. The line of Judoon- who were effectively blocking off the hall- beside the speaker did the same.

The Dalek did not comply, but elected to shoot one of the Judoon dead. The ones still standing each took a doorway to take cover behind and return fire.

Through the flurry of blasts and the warning , River heard her name.

She looked up and could see Amy and Rory at the far end of the hall, peeking out of a corner at her. Judoon stood on either side of them like body guards. Beside Amy stood the Shadow Architect, red eyes glaring hatefully at the Dalek, who the Judoon were managing to keep at bay.

"River, come on!" Amy and Rory shouted at her.

River took the first chance she got to jump out from behind the doorway, shooting back at the Dalek as she went, and dash over to Amy and Rory, who grabbed her and pulled her back to safety.

"That was a little close for comfort," River said.

Amy smiled with relief and hugged her. "Are you alright?"

"Always," River replied.

"You didn't find James?" Rory asked, looking back down the hall for him.

River shook her head. "The Doctor did," she said, pointing up at one of the speakers, which was still informing everyone to get to the escape pods.

"That was the Doctor?" Amy asked.

"He's set the whole facility to blow."

"How long?" the Shadow Architect asked.

"I'd guess fifteen minutes at most," she replied, then looked at the Shadow Architect seriously. "I would suggest you get yourself and your goons off of this ship as soon as possible."

Suddenly shots made all of them duck and a Judoon next to them dropped to the ground with a thud. The other Judoon whirled around and fired on the Silurians that had opened fire on them from the left.

"Fall back," a Judoon growled.

Amy, Rory, River and the Shadow Architect were pushed back as the Judoon retreated down the hall to escape the Dalek and Silurians advancing on them. Eventually the Silurians walked into the Dalek's sights and they began fighting each other, giving the Judoon the opportunity to retreat.

"Return to the ships," the Shadow Architect commanded. "Make sure nothing leaves this vessel."

Her Judoon captain nodded and the group began making their way back to the docking chamber when a shout turned all of their heads.

* * *

><p>"I found them!" the Doctor shouted, spotting River, Amy and Rory up ahead. He went into a run, waving his arms wildly to get their attention and grinning from ear to ear at the sight of them.<p>

The Doctor ran up to them, beaming. "Hello, you three!" he exclaimed. "Everyone still in one piece?"

"For the moment," River said with a smile.

"Good. Well, everyone look who I found!" the Doctor said, grabbing James' shoulders and presenting him to them with a big smile.

"James!" Amy said happily, wrapping him up a hug.

James, surprised, took a moment to hug her back. "I wasn't gone that long," he said, befuddled.

"We're glad to see you," she said.

Rory nodded in agreement. "You alright?"

"Couldn't be better!"

"Why are you going in there? The TARDIS is back the other way," the Doctor said.

"Doctor," the Shadow Architect said, making her presence known.

"Well, hello!" the Doctor greeted her. "Didn't expect to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Righting a wrong," the Shadow Architect said, then looked at James, who was regarding her with nervous suspicion. She said nothing as she beckoned one of her Judoon soldiers, who brought to her a brown bundle. She held it out for James to take.

He unfolded it and could barely contain his joy. "My coat!" he exclaimed excitedly, throwing it on. "I thought I'd lost it forever!"

The Shadow Architect looked at him and the Doctor thought he saw a glimpse of a smile, but no such smile remained when she looked at him. "I'm afraid we're overwhelmed here. It wouldn't be surprising if we lost track of a few people..."

The Doctor looked at her for a second, then smiled gratefully. He looked at his companions and clapped his hands together. "Right. Time to go everyone! Where is everyone?" he asked, looking around. Mr. Boots was nowhere to be seen.

"Mr. Boots?" River asked. "He was with you?"

"Yes, apparently he's sort of good in a not good way," the Doctor said. "He must have used the manipulator when he saw the Judoon."

James jutted his jaw angrily. "He got away," he said quietly, running a hand through his hair in frustration. After all he had done, he was going to get away with it.

"For now," the Doctor corrected him, although he wasn't entirely sure if he was going to be able to find him again now that he had gone. That, however, was a problem for another time. Right now, they needed to get off of this facility. "Now we'd better hurry. Everyone is going to be headed this way to get back to their ships before the whole place blows up."

The Doctor, taking hold of his wife's hand, led the way back down the hall to the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>Nothing was going according to plan. The assassin who had caused her so much headache was nowhere to be found, River Song had just killed several of her Silence, the Doctor had eluded her clutches, and upon arriving at the black market vessel where the Cowboy was reported to have been, she discovered that the man she had presumed to be an earlier incarnation of the Doctor was actually something far more different... and dangerous.<p>

What made it worse was not that long ago she had been sitting across a desk from him- the man that was a key part in their destruction. He, too, was nowhere to be found.

And now the Silence were scattered all over the facility, hunting them down while having to fight off everything they encountered. She knew that this battle was over and she needed to get back to her ship before the entire vessel exploded, which was no doubt the Doctor's doing. The countdown had already begun blaring overhead.

_Warning. Five minutes, thirty-six seconds until engine meltdown. Evacuate the facility immediately. Warning, five minutes, thirty-two seconds until engine meltdown..._

She and her three bodyguards were nearly there when a man stepped in their path, each step making a familiar, spine-tingling _clink_.

"Kill him!" she shouted, knowing she could not hesitate a moment with this man.

It didn't matter.

He didn't pull his weapon. He instead charged forward, dodging to the side as the first body gun swung his gun at him. He came up again behind him, elbowed his back, kicked out the back of his knee. He grabbed the first guard's head smacked it against the wall beside him while simultaneously taking hold of the second guard's gun with his free hand and shoving it backwards into the guard's nose. The two guards dropped to the ground like rag dolls. The third, alarm mounting, tried to back away in order to shoot him, but the Cowboy had already rounded on him, swatting his gun away before he could back up and reached out, pinching him at the base of the neck. As the guard dropped, the Cowboy pulled the third guard's side arm from its holster and aimed it at Madame Kovarian's head.

_Warning. Five minutes, ten seconds until engine meltdown..._

For a moment, she thought she was dead, but no shot was fired. When she realized there was a chance she could regain control of the situation again, she grabbed hold of it.

"Are you trying to prove a point or were you out of bullets?" she asked, looking around at the bodies at her feet.

The Cowboy smiled. "I was instructed not to remove my weapon from it's holster."

"You wouldn't prefer your own weapon to exact your revenge?"

"Revenge? Now, Kovarian, whoever said anything about revenge?"

"You didn't come here to kill the Doctor and it's not for money, or you would have sold the Meta Crisis, so if it's neither of these, and it's not revenge, then what is it?" she asked, her voice silky and calm as she took a step closer.

_Evacuate immediately..._

He grinned. "You know, I shouldn't have been surprised you didn't remember me the first time we met. After all... why would you? What threat would a boy from an Neo-Luddite planet be to you?"

She stared at him for a moment. Had they met before? What connection did this man have to Agora? Her gaze fell on his amber eyes, focused, calculating. And suddenly it hit her and his face, removing twenty or so years, became clear.

"You forgot to clean up your mess, Kovarian," he taunted.

She laughed. "So this is just the tantrum of an orphan. A little boy missing his _mummy_ and _daddy_," she jeered. She could handle a boy and for a moment, she believed that was all this was, which meant he was just a broken man. Broken men could be destroyed.

Again, he smiled and it bothered her that nothing she said would penetrate him. "You're operating under the impression that the death of my parents was the cause of what I am now. I'm afraid you're mistaken," he said, then took a step forward, saying softly, "It accelerated it."

Her confidence fell. This was _no_ broken man. There was no anger or sadness in this man's eyes, as there would have been in anyone who had experienced loss. Instead, he appeared offended.

_Warning. Four minutes, fifty-four seconds until... _

"You took what was mine and then had the _audacity_ to assume I was no threat to you. Now, tell me... am I _now_?" he asked, the plasma gun in his hand whirring as he prepared to fire. "Revenge had nothing to do with it. This is respect and principle. You took what was mine, and now I'm going to take what's yours... starting with your life."

She saw he was ready to fire and was just about to begin bargaining with him to stall for time, when her salvation arrived in the form of six Silents. She smiled smugly. "I think not."

* * *

><p>They hadn't gone far before they were noticed. Cybermen were the first to notice them and followed them as they ran down the halls. The Doctor, River and James managed to keep them at a distance. A few Sycorax and Silurians looked as though they were considering joining in the chase, but as the alarm began to steadily count down, they turned and fled, hurrying to return to their ships.<p>

The TARDIS was just one hall away when they saw it; a standoff between Mr. Boots, Madame Kovarian and several of the Silence, all of whom were raising their long fingers towards the hit-man across the hall.

The Doctor had noticed it first, and knew they were going to kill him. Mr. Boots looked to preoccupied with Madame Kovarian to have noticed them. He frowned, looking behind them at the oncoming hoard of aliens and Cybermen, trying to decide what to do.

He struggled for a moment with whether or not to just leave him, but before he could even begin making up his mind, James had already pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

James had noticed Mr. Boots' predicament as well and, without even thinking about what he was doing, had decided to take action. "No!" he shouted, aiming his sonic at the light above the Silent's heads, making it spark and then burst completely, distracting them from their target. He then sprinted forward, no plan in mind except to stop Mr. Boots from taking another life.

Mr. Boots turned at the noise and shout, pulled out the gun in the holster on his hip and began firing with both weapons at the Silence behind him_, _taking out the first three within a second.

Amy and Rory meanwhile looked round at the sudden flash of light, stopping in their tracks and causing River to stop as well. After gathering what was happening, she waved at her parents to go. "Get to the TARDIS!" she shouted at them as she fired on the Cybermen, Sycorax and Sontarans that were rushing up the hall behind them. She knew there were too many of them for her to take on alone. "Sweetie," she shouted, "we don't have time for pit-stops."

"I know!" the Doctor yelled back at her, watching as Mr. Boots shot the last of the Silence down. His eyes drifted off to Madame Kovarian when he saw her raise her arm. "Boots, look out!" he shouted.

Madame Kovarian had pulled a gun from the small of her back, aimed it, and fired.

Mr. Boots convulsed, then dropped to the floor.

"No!" James screamed as he watched the hit-man fall to the floor. He looked up as Madame Kovarian turned her gun on him. He ducked as she fired off a shot, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The blast nicked his shoulder and from the pain and surprise he fell onto his back, grasping at his arm.

Madame Kovarian advanced on him, passing Mr. Boots body. She stopped when she was standing over James, smiling cruelly down at him. "You've all failed," she hissed.

The Doctor went wide-eyed. "Stop! Don't!" he shouted, sprinting down the hall to stop her. He was almost within reach of her...

James squeezed his eyes shut and turned away as a loud _bang!_ echoed down the hall.

He waited for it to hurt and wondered if maybe he was in shock... or dead and didn't know it. Carefully, he opened his eyes, looking up at Madame Kovarian. She was staring at him, but her eyes were glazed over, not really seeing him. Slowly, she dropped to her knees, then onto her side, letting out a quiet breath before she stopped moving completely.

Mr. Boots raised his gun. "Get down, River Song."

River, who was being overrun by the monsters coming toward her, did not hesitate. She backed off, letting the first of the Cybermen walk into Mr. Boots' line of sight.

He fired, dropping each of them, their bodies shaking as electric currents danced over their bodies. In a matter of seconds, River and Mr. Boots had cleared the hall.

The Doctor, who had up to this point taking refuge behind one of the doorways to stay out of Mr. Boots' way, took his opportunity and went to James, checking his shoulder. "Are you alright? Let me see. Move your hand," he demanded, swatting James' hand away from the wound. "Oh, that's not too bad. You'll be fine." He then moved on to Madame Kovarian, checking her pulse. His face fell and he swallowed. Without saying a word, he looked up at Mr. Boots.

He was breathing far too heavily.

The Doctor jumped up as Mr. Boots began to fall, catching him just in time and easing him to floor. He gently laid him on the floor, looking over the wound. When he saw it, he swallowed. "Rory!" he called, but when he looked at Mr. Boot again, his face fell.

James, picking himself up off the floor, went over to check on Mr. Boots. He looked down at him and paled. Amy, Rory and River came up beside him, all of their eyes locked onto Mr. Boots.

His body was still.

_Warning. Twenty seconds until engine meltdown. Evacuate the facility immediately..._

"Sweetie," River said, gently placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "We need to leave."

"We can't leave him here," Amy said.

"There's nothing we can do. He's gone," River said. "We need to leave right now, Doctor."

The Doctor's chin raised as his lips tightened, frustration etched into his features. Slowly, he nodded, standing up. "River's right. Everybody get to the TARDIS," he said softly, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

_Warning. Twelve seconds until engine meltdown. Evacuate the facility immediately... nine... eight... seven..._

The five of them hurried back to the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door and ushered each of them inside.

The Doctor, James and River immediately rushed over to the console, everyone grabbing onto the railings and console as the TARDIS flew into the vortex just as the spaceship they left behind exploded into debris.

* * *

><p><strong>The end!<br>**

**Just kidding. Haha. Last chapter is actually the next one. :( It's kinda sad to be ending this...**

**Oh, and HOLY CRAP this was a difficult chapter to write. I had A TON of ideas on how this last scene should go, because it's such a difficult bit, but eventually I decided this one was the best as painful and difficult as it was for me to write. **


	32. End

**Last chapter. :( I'm quite sad to end it, but the time has come. Please enjoy the chapter and I will have a note for you all at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!  
><strong>

**P.S. For those of you who may have received two notices of this chapter, it's because I changed something. So don't be alarmed!**

* * *

><p>The Doctor leaned over the TARDIS console, eyes fixated on the screen in front of him. He was fairly certain that several of his enemies had escape. The TARDIS had picked up a few energy surges barely a second before the black market vessel had detonated, but that wasn't a major concern for him at the moment. He had a choice to make now.<p>

He glanced over at James, who was leaning against the railing, chewing on his lower lip and staring at the floor in deep thought. Amy and Rory were on the seat beside him, both watching everyone in uncomfortable silence. River was behind him, boring holes into the back of his head, like she knew exactly what he was considering. Really he didn't have much of a choice, at least for the time being.

He suddenly turned around and looked made eye contact with each of his friends, his gaze landing lastly on the Meta-Crisis. They had both put up mental barriers towards each other so they didn't have to feel or hear what the other was thinking every other second, but the link between them was still very much a mystery to both of them, and the barrier was only able partially block thoughts and emotions. James' mental block was up, and although what the Doctor could feel from him was vague, there was one emotion that was distinct and clear to him. James was afraid. Afraid of what, he wasn't sure, but it was there, clear as day and pouring out from behind the mental block.

"James..." the Doctor began, "the ah... damage that Mr. Boots caused was... more than expected. He basically advertised you all over time and space... for all of our enemies to see. It's going to take a lot of work to undo what he's done." He looked over at River and could see her shaking his head, begging him not to do what he was about to do. He ignored her. "So... until then... I want you to come with me."

James looked up, shocked at what he'd heard, the fear suddenly vanishing. "What?"

The Doctor smiled. "Well, it's a lot easier to fly the TARDIS with two people, plus I'm sure there's loads more tinkering we could do _and_ I don't trust Torchwood or UNIT alone with you. That's just a disaster waiting to happen. Now, my only option... is to bring you along. So!" he said, clapping his hands together and grinning excitedly, "What do you say?"

The Doctor knew River was looking at him and he knew she wanted him to take it back; change his mind. She liked James, but the rumors still concerned her, and she wanted James far away from the Doctor and the TARDIS. The Doctor disagreed. He couldn't think of a better or safer place to watch over James than right beside him. Despite her dislike for the idea, she made no objections.

James, meanwhile, was just staring at him, surprise plastered onto his face. "You mean that?"

"Do you not want to?" the Doctor asked.

"No! No, no. I... I just didn't think..." James stammered, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up in odder angles than usual.

"Well, come on then," the Doctor said, circling to the other side of the TARDIS and pressing a few buttons, "I'm not going to wait around all day for an answer. Are you coming with me or not? Yes or no?"

"Well, yes, I just-"

"Great! Then how about you help me get the TARDIS going, hmm? I've got another pit-stop before we-"

"What about Rose? What am I going to tell her?"

"Nothing," the Doctor said. "No need. We'll just drop you off to the last time I saw her when the time comes. She won't even know that we'd gone anywhere." When James didn't immediately speak, the Doctor looked at Amy and Rory. "Would either of you be opposed to him tagging along with us for a while?"

"Are you joking? We'd love it," Amy said. "It's nice having you around."

"The flying's been smoother since you started helping the Doctor," Rory agreed_. _

"Oi!" the Doctor protested. "I fly the TARDIS perfectly fine!" He paused, then, pointing a finger, added, "It's the vortex that's bumpy, not my driving."

River covered her mouth as she laughed silently.

James smiled at Rory and Amy gratefully, then walked over to the console and began following the Doctor's lead. "So where is it that we're going?"

"Agora," the Doctor answered.

"What for?" Rory asked.

"The Calla's are going to notice when postcards stop showing up," the Doctor said.

"That's going to break their hearts," Amy said. "Do we have to tell them?"

"It's going to break their hearts when they stop hearing from him," the Doctor replied. "The least I can give them is some closure. They deserve at least that."

The TARDIS was sent through the Vortex, back to small town of Driode, parking just in front of the Calla's house.

Like before, the Calla's came shuffling out of the house at the first sight of the TARDIS, but as the Doctor came out to greet them, he noticed something had changed about them. Mrs. Calla was crying and Mr. Calla was beaming.

Everyone stepped out of the TARDIS, looking at the elderly couple in bewilderment.

Mrs. Calla got to the Doctor first, grabbing him and pulling him in a tight hug.

"Oh! Hello," he said in surprise, looking down at the top of her gray head with confusion. "What did I do?"

Mr. Calla quickly joined his wife, embracing his wife and the Doctor in his arms.

"What's going on?" Amy asked. When she got no response, she addressed them, "Mr. and Mrs. Calla?"

"Is everything alright?" Rory asked.

"It couldn't be better," Mrs. Calla said, her voice muffled in the Doctor's chest.

Mr. Calla pulled away from the hug and held out a card to the Doctor, putting a hand on Mrs. Calla, who released the Doctor.

Arms freed, the Doctor took the card and examined it closely. It was another postcard from Mr. Boots, but this one was different. "This one's addressed to me..."

James grabbed it from him, read the contents, then looked at Mr. and Mrs. Calla. "Who delivered this?"

Mrs. Calla's tears increased, but a smile formed on her face.

The Doctor and James exchanged looks.

River took the postcard from James and read it as well.

"What does it say?" Amy asked, coming up behind her and reading over her shoulder. It held only a short message:

_I will be present when you fall._

"We saw him, Doctor," Mrs. Calla said softly.

"Dropped two of these off at the door," Mr. Calla said, pulling a second from his pocket and looking down at it affectionately. "One for us and one for you."

The Doctor looked at his card, wondering at the message. He already knew that Mr. Boots was going to witness his fall, so why would he say it again? The Doctor looked at Mr. Calla. "What did he look like? How old did he look?"

"I'm not sure, Doctor," Mrs. Calla answered. "He was walking away when we saw him."

"How do you know it was him and not someone else?" Rory asked.

"I know my Roan," Mrs. Calla said softly, "He looked back and smiled and I knew it was him."

"Did he say anything?" River asked.

"Not a word," Mr. Calla said.

"May I see your note?" River requested, extending her hand.

Mr. Calla gave it to her without hesitation and River read it over quickly before handing it back. It was a goodbye letter. There was no explanation as to why or where he was going; just that this was the last time they would hear from him.

"Where has he gone, Doctor?" Mrs. Calla asked.

The Doctor looked at her and smiled. "He retired," he answered. "But he wanted me to tell you that he's fine and... he's inventing. Doing what he loves."

Mrs. Calla stared at the Doctor for a long moment, then smiled, reaching up and kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Doctor."

He smiled at her, then looked at his companions. "Well, we'd all best be off. Thank you for this," he said, raising the postcard.

"No, Doctor," Mr. Calla said, taking his hand and shaking it briskly. "Thank you."

The Doctor smiled at them, then ushered everyone inside the TARDIS, the Calla's waving them off as they once again disappeared into the vortex. Once inside, the Doctor turned to his companions, grinning at them all. "Alright, gang! Where would you like to go?"

"I can't stay," River said.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked, pouting.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but there's somewhere I need to be," she said.

"Where's that?"

"I have business with a certain Mob Boss that I need to take care of."

He nodded and smiled at her, disappointed, but trying to play it off. "Until next time, then? River Song."

She smiled, that seductively smile that he could never resist, then slowly walked up to him and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. Pulling away, she said sweetly, "Until next time, my love." She then turned to her parents, hugging each of them and wishing them goodbye. Lastly, she went to James. She pulled him into a hug, then whispered into his ear, "Take care of him."

He didn't respond, surprised at what she had said. It was the last thing he had expected her to say, and when it finally sunk in, he could only manage a small nod at her as she pulled away.

She smiled at him, and although he could still see the doubt in her eyes, he knew she at least didn't hate him now. That would have to do for the time being. He smiled at her.

She went to the doors of the TARDIS and opened them up. She turned, blew a kiss at the Doctor, then jumped out, pressing a button on her vortex manipulator and disappearing.

The Doctor frowned, then looked at Amy and Rory. "What about you two? One last trip?" he asked.

Amy and Rory looked at each other, conversing silently with their eyes before, trying very hard to act nonchalant, shrugged and nodded.

"Well, I suppose one more trip wouldn't hurt," Amy said.

"Yeah, just one more wouldn't be the end of the world," Rory said at the same time.

The Doctor beamed at that, then trotted up to the console. "Well, in that case, and if there are no objections, I say that we should let James pick," he said, then looked at the Meta-Crisis. When neither of the Ponds rejected, he continued. "So James... where would you like to go?"

James looked at him and grinned. "I haven't been to Barcelona in a while."

"Neither have I," the Doctor said, then started working.

James beamed and jumped up to the console, following the Doctor's lead as the two sent the TARDIS swirling through the vortex, all of them screaming with delight as they went off on their next adventure.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much each and every one of you for all of your great reviews and for supporting this story. I am very sorry I have been unable to answer any of you, but I have been swamped lately. Again, won't go into detail, but again, thank you so very much. I am free for the next two weeks so I will be able to respond to you this time.<br>**

**Alright, we've reached this journey's end, but I do plan to write a sequel. It will stand separately from season seven, but will include references and such.  
><strong>

**If any of you have anything you would like to see in the sequel, you can leave a review or PM me. It will help me put a storyline together. :)**

**Also, the reason I did not give Rose an ending in this story is because of the 50th anniversary. I'm leaving her story open for me to easily pick back up once that episode airs, just in case Moffat decides to bring back the Meta-Crisis himself. **

**If you have any questions for me, comments, critiques, reviews, what-have-you, please share! I look forward to hearing from you all! And feel free to let me know what you would like to see in the sequel! Again, thank you so much!**


End file.
